RECAP 


THE  ORIGIN 
AND 

TREATMENT 
OF 


STAMMERING 


GEO.  ANDREW  LEWIS, 


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(COPYRIGHTED), 


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THE  LIBRARIES 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


Medical  Library 


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GEO.  ANDREW  LEWIS, 

Founder   of  The   Lewis    Phono-Metric    Method  and  Principal  of  The 
Lewis  School  for  Stammerers. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND 

TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

{Sixth  Edition  Enlarged  and  Revised.) 
BY 

GEO.   ANDREW  LEWIS 

(An  inveterate  Stammerer  for  more  than  twenty  years.) 
FOUNDER  OF 

THE     LEWIS   PHONO-METRIC   METHOD 

Registered  at  patent  offices  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
FOR  THE  PERMANENT  CURE  OF 

STAMMERING  AND   STUTTERING 

AND  ALL  OTHER   FORMS  OF  IMPERFECT  UT- 
TERANCE   OF    SPEECH    AND    ARTICULATION 

A  practical  and  scientific  treatise  on  the  Cause  and  Treatment  of  Speech 
Defects  with  original  illustrations  showing  the  difference  between  mild  and 
severe  types  of  stammering.  Lectures  delivered  before  Elocutionists^  Conventions 
and  Medical  Societies  with  suggestions  for  treatment 


THE  EXPERIENCE  OF  THE  AUTHOR  AND  ENDORSEMENT  OF  THE 

PUBLIC 

COPYRIGHTED  BY  GEO.  ANDREW  LEWIS 
1900 

{All  rights  reserved.) 


DETROIT: 
PHONO-METER   PRESS, 

1900. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Geo.  Andrew  Lewis Frontispiece 

Author's  Experience 5 

Anatomical  View  of  the  Speaking  Organs        -        -        -      12 

The  Origin  of  Stammering -  13 

Curable  and  Incurable  Forms  of  Stammering         -         -      33 

Child  Stammering 52 

Diagnosis  and  Treatment  of  Obstinate  Cases   of  Stam- 
mering       - 63 

Helpful  Hints  and  Exercises 88 

Stammering  —  Practically,  Theoretically  99 

Cause  and  Cure  of  Speech  Defects        ...        -         104 
Institutional  and  Home  Treatment  -        -        -        -      112 

The  Mechanism  of  Speech         ------        134 

Relations  of  the  Body  and  Mind  to  Stammering  -  -  146 
Peculiarities  in  Stammering  and  How  to  Overcome  Them  160 
Suggestions  for  Stammerers i75 


THE  AUTHOR'S  EXPERIENCE 

"Come,  I  will  show  thee  an  affliction 
Unnumbered  among  the  world's  sorrows."  —  Tupper. 

THE  earliest  recollection  of  my  difficulty  carries  me 
back  to  my  infancy.  I  can  well  remember  my  mother 
taking  me  to  school  for  the  first  time,  and,  with  tearful 
eyes,  she  told  the  teacher  not  to  chastise  me  if  I  stam- 
mered, because,  said  she,  "  He  cannot  help  it."  From 
that  time  until  my  cure,  I  cannot  remember  a  period  in 
my  whole  life  when  I  did  not  labor  to  much  disadvan- 
tage because  of  my  impediment  or  when  I  could  have 
said,  "  I  can  speak."  True,  at  times  I  could  speak,  but 
always  with  a  mental  strain,  and  there  were  many  times 
when  I  was  almost  dumb.  The  severity  of  my  trouble 
was  heightened  by  the  fact  that  some  of  my  relatives 
were  similarly  afflicted,  or  in  other  words,  I  had  inherited 
my  difficulty,  which  made  a  cure,  in  my  mind,  all  the 
more  improbable. 

In  this  supposition  I  have  since  found  I  was  correct, 
the  reason  being  —  The  organism  predisposed  to  the 
development  of  stammering  the  defect  was  planted  in 
the  pre-natal  life,  and,  therefore,  had  the  force  of  the 
unnatural  condition  as  a  part  of  the  condition  of  its  own 
existence. 

Several  months  after  my  mother  had  taken  me  to 
school,  she  passed  away  to  a  better  world,  after  which 
time,  notwithstanding  my  father  and  family  tried  every 
available  means  to  lessen  the  severity  of  my  trouble,  I 
gradually  grew  worse.  My  father  tried  to  break  me  of 
it  by  offers  of  money  if  I  would  or  could  repeat  after  him 

—  5  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

words  and  sentences  he  would  speak, —  in  vain.  My 
difficulty  was  rapidly  developing  into  the  most  severe 
form  of  stuttering,  a  condition  where,  in  my  effort  to 
speak,  I  placed  the  stress  to  articulate  upon  the  wrong 
muscles,  thereby  causing  the  rapid  repetition  of  a  word 
or  syllable  before  the  following  word  or  syllable  could 
be  uttered. 

This  is  the  kind  of  stuttering  that  many  persons 
mock  at  and  mimic,  many  of  whom  have  had  cast  upon 
their  shoulders  by  Almighty  God  the  weight  that  they 
would  burden  down  with  ridicule  and  jest  for  the  poor 
unfortunate  who  carries  it  around.  A  most  pitiable 
sight  occurred  to  me  a  few  days  ago.  A  young  man 
who  applied  for  admission  to  my  Institute  told  me  he 
had  acquired  his  difficulty  by  imitation,  and  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  he  was  of  well-to-do  parents,  who 
had  paid  out  almost  a  fortune  in  their  efforts  to  find  re- 
lief for  him,  he  said  his  life  had  been  a  blank,  the  direct 
result  of  his  own  folly  and  jest. 

Let  those  who  mock  be  careful.  Surely  the  poor 
stammerer  has  enough  to  suffer  without  bearing  the 
taunts  and  ridicule  of  the  public. 

As  I  grew  older,  I  naturally  became  more  sensitive 
about  my  difficulty.  My  friends  and  relatives  experi- 
enced and  expressed  great  sorrow  over  my  condition, 
which  only  made  me  suffer  the  more,  because  I  knew 
that  those  who  loved  me,  and  whom  I  loved,  suffered 
with  me. 

Should  I,  by  chance,  be  invited  out  of  an  evening 
to  a  reception  or  party,  I  would  many  times  imagine  it 
was  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  my  affliction,  which 

~6  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

now  began  to  be  accompanied  by  contortions,  lolling 
the  tongue,  gasping  for  breath,  and  drawing  the  mus- 
cles. If  not  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  my  infirmity, 
then  why  was  I  asked  ?  Certainly  not  because  of  my 
entertaining  faculties,  nor  for  my  conversational  abili- 
ties, and  as  many  persons  whom  I  knew  held  me  up  to 
mockery  behind  my  back,  and  invariably  avoided  con- 
versation with  me  except  by  compulsion,  I  felt  that  I 
was  almost  alone  in  the  world. 

True,  many  persons  were  kind  to  me,  and  thought- 
ful, considerate  people  spoke  many  kind  words  of  hope 
and  comfort  to  me.  These  were  a  few  of  the  streaks  of 
sunshine  that  stole  into  my  life,  and  it  is  unnecessary  for 
me  to  say  those  persons  —  may  God  bless  them,  wherever 
they  are  —  shall  never  be  forgotten. 

Between  the  age  of  nineteen  and  twenty,  my  diffi- 
culty began  to  change.  That  rapid  repetition  of  words 
ceased.  The  outward  manifestation  of  my  trouble  left 
me  for  a  time,  but  the  inward  torture  I  endured  was 
sometimes  awful.  My  impediment  was  speedily  grow- 
ing worse.  In  my  effort  to  conceal  my  affliction,  I 
rapidly  developed  the  mental  phase  of  a  most  severe 
type  of  stammering  and  added  new  horrors  to  my  al- 
ready woeful  life.  I  became  almost  tongue  tied — r 
dumb  as  it  were,  instead  of  rapidly  repeating  my  sylla- 
bles, I  now  stood  transfixed,  my  mouth  distended  like 
a  funnel,  my  limbs  slowly  drawing  themselves  into  un- 
gainly shapes,  my  eyes  assuming  the  meanwhile  a  glassy 
appearance;  when  I  had  labored  in  this  condition  for 
several  moments,  overcome  by  exertion  and  extreme 
effort,  my  nerves  all  unstrung,  I  would,  as  by  lightning 

—  7  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

impulse,  sink  back,  gasp  for  more  breath  and  try  again 
with  the  same  results. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  evening  I  returned  home 
from  school,  disgusted.  Throwing  my  books  in  the 
corner,  I  vowed  and  resolved  I  would  never  return. 
What  was  I  to  do  ?  My  father  had  not  wealth,  and  I 
must  soon  be  cast  adrift  to  shift  for  myself  and  fight  my 
own  battles  with  the  world. 

Reader,  are  you  a  stammerer?  Are  you  a  stut- 
terer? Have  you  ever  suffered  the  impatience  and 
ridicule  of  cruel  and  unsympathetic  people?  Those 
are  the  moments  when  we  either  grow  despondent  or 
desperate,  according  to  our  individual  nature  and  tem- 
perament. 

I  decided  to  follow  the  mechanical  arts,  and  ap- 
plied myself  diligently  to  the  study  of  mechanics. 

My  skill  was  soon  acknowledged,  and,  with  the  offer 
of  a  fair  salary,  I  left  home  the  following  year,  resolved, 
if  travel  would  reveal  to  me  a  balm  for  my  wound,  I 
would  endeavor  to  be  healed.  Much  advice  was  given 
me,  and  many  pet  theories  and  methods  of  cure  urged, 
a  few  of  which  I  give  herewith  —  Hold  a  quill  between 
the  teeth;  keep  a  pebble  under  the  tongue;  whistle 
just  before  uttering  a  word  ;  take  a  long  breath ;  move 
the  head  from  side  to  side,  and  many  such  worthless 
and  nonsensical  ideas. 

For  several  years  I  continued  to  follow  my  busi- 
ness, saving  money  in  the  meantime  to  enable  me  to 
visit  the  East,  where  I  understood  some  satisfactory 
results  in  cures  had  been  achieved.  The  mental  strain 
I  had  suffered  and  the  loss  of  vitality  in  consequence 

—  8  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

were  rapidly  making  me  a  mental  and  physical  wreck. 
At  last  I  resolved  to  go  and  investigate,  and  resigned 
my  position  at  Bay  City,  Michigan,  for  that  purpose.  I 
visited  the  best  schools  on  the  continent,  obtaining  some 
relief  at  an  enormous  expenditure  of  time  and  money. 

After  hard  and  diligent  application,  I  used  up  my 
surplus  capital,  and  was  necessarily  forced  to  seek  em- 
ployment. The  relief  I  had  obtained  proved  but  tem- 
porary, for  occasionally  my  old  trouble  would  crop  up 
with  all  its  horrors,  notwithstanding  I  continued  my 
exercises  regularly,  although  I  did  not  begrudge  the 
amount  of  time  and  money  I  had  spent,  as  I  felt  I  was 
now  on  the  trail  and  would  soon  hunt  down  my  antago- 
nist. 

About  this  time  I  was  offered,  and  accepted,  a  posi- 
tion with  I.  Herzberg  &  Bros.,  wholesale  and  retail 
manufacturing  jewelers,  S.  E.  corner  ioth  and  Chestnut 
streets,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  As  this  store  was  one  of 
the  best  appointed  of  its  kind,  in  the  most  fashionable 
business  center  of  the  city,  I  felt  that  if  I  could  succeed 
in  entirely  overcoming  my  impediment  of  speech,  I 
would  be  of  more  value  to  them,  as  well  as  realizing 
within  myself  my  fondest  dreams  and  aspirations.  Could 
not  a  method  or  a  means  of  cure  be  devised  or  invented 
that  would  entirely  and  permanently  eradicate  every 
trace  of  stammering  ?  Surely  there  could,  and  if  so, 
how  many  others  like  myself,  who  had  obtained  but 
partial  relief  could  be  set  at  liberty  ?  How  many  oth- 
ers, being  dragged  back,  as  by  some  invisible  monster, 
whose  claws  sank  deeper  and  deeper  day  by  day,  would 
thus  be  enabled  to  escape  ? 

—  9  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

The  result  of  my  experiment  and  investigation 
proved  more  than  I  had  expected.  In  the  remarkably 
short  period  of  ten  days,  I  found  that  I  had  not  only 
succeeded  in  entirely  eradicating  every  vestige  of  my 
former  difficulty,  but  had  also  evolved  a  method  of  cure 
that  must  sooner  or  later  crown  with  new  hope  the  sor- 
rowful lives  of  many  disheartened  stammerers. 

A  new  ambition  seemed  to  cast  its  shadows  upon 
me.  I  had  by  combining  the  application  of  my  sys- 
tem, with  the  knowledge  I  had  gained  in  the  best  schools 
on  this  continent  for  the  correction  of  speech  impedi- 
ments and  cultivation  of  the  voice,  secured  a  method 
for  the  cure  of  stammering ",  founded  upon  an  educational 
basis,  a  method  for  the  aire  of  stammering,  founded 
upon  the  scientific  psychological  and  physiological  laws 
that  underlie  and  govern  the  art  of  perfect  speech,  a 
method  for  the  cure  of  stammering  that  consists  in  go- 
ing back  to  fundamental  principles,  and  building  up  the 
speech  through  a  course  of  training  founded  on  a  scien- 
tific, educational  basis.  A  method  for  the  cure  of  stam- 
merings where  the  pupil  not  only  learns  how  to  speak 
properly  and  perfectly,  but  also  to  govern  and  control 
the  will  power  in  connection  with  the  production  of  per- 
fect speech  which  relates  to  the  higher  nerve  centers 
affected  as  well  as  the  control  of  the  speaking  organs. 
This  means  of  cure,  "The  Lewis  Phono-Metric  Method," 
has  the  support  of  not  only  the  best  business  and  pro- 
fessional men  in  the  country,  but  is  also  endorsed  in 
the  highest  terms  by  well-known  schools  of  Elocution 
and  Voice  Culture  and  by  other  institutions  for  the  cure 
of  speech  impediments. 

— 10  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

There  is  no  doubt  that  stammering  is  a  more  seri- 
ous trouble  than  is  generally  believed,  and  although 
the  stammerer  in  the  past  has  to  a  large  extent  been 
obliged  to  bear  with  humiliation  the  blunt  of  his  afflic- 
tion, public  sympathy  is  rapidly  assuming  the  place  of 
public  ridicule,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
cause  of  the  stammerer  will  appeal  to  the  masses  in  the 
same  sense  as  the  cause  of  other  human  infirmities  and 
demand  the  recognition  it  deserves.  The  blighted 
lives,  the  crushed  ambitions,  the  wail  of  parents  in 
behalf  of  their  children,  the  tears,  the  letters  of  despond- 
ency, supplications  for  help  from  every  quarter  of  the 
civilized  globe,  together  with  the  nervous  and  physical 
wrecks  that  stammering  has  left  in  its  wake  combine  to 
prove  the  extent  of  the  stammerer's  helpless  condition. 

I  know  of  no  other  work  in  which  I  could  engage  to 
better  prove  my  usefulness  to  mankind  than  that  of 
treating  the  stammerer.  Having  myself  for  more  than 
twenty  years  been  obliged  to  bear  the  yoke,  I  can  bet- 
ter appreciate  the  suffering  and  sorrow  of  others  thus 
unfortunately  afflicted. 

With  an  aim  of  devoting  my  entire  future  life  for 
the  benefit  of  others,  I  have  founded  my  institution  on 
a  basis  of  Home  and  School  Combined  hitherto 
unapproached,  and  hope  by  the  continued  encourage- 
ment of  success  to  extend  to  hundreds  of  suffering  and 
disheartened  stammerers  a  new  life,  crowned  with  new 
ambitions,  one  of  God's  greatest  and  most  noble 
blessings,  the  privilege  and  enjoyment  of  perfect  and 
unfettered  speech.        Very  sincerely, 

Geo.  Andrew  Lewis. 


—  ii  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


ANATOMICAL  VIEW 

OF   THE 
SPEAKING  ORGANS 


i,  canal  from  throat  to  middle  ear  ;  2,  back  part  of  nose  ;  3,  soft  palate ; 
4,  soft  palate  covering  tonsil ;  5,  tonsil ;  6,  base  of  tongue  ;  7,  epiglottis ;  8 , 
part  of  cartilage  of  larynx ;  9,  laryngeal  portion  of  pharynx ;  10,  cavity  of 
larynx;  11,  nasal  fossae;  12,  vault  of  the  palate,  or  roof  of  mouth;  13,  14, 
tongue ;  15,  muscle  beneath  tongue ;  16,  hyoid  bone ;  17,  interior  of  larynx ; 
18, 19,  thyroid  cartilage. 

—  12  — 


THE  ORIGIN  OF 

STAMMERING 


BY  GEO.  ANDREW  LEWIS 


lecture  delivered  by  invitation  before  the  members  of  the  Wayne  County 
Medical  Society,  February  20,  1896,  at  the  office  and  parlors  of  Dr.  John 
E.  Clark,  President  of  the  Board  of  Education,  Detroit,  Mich. 

PROBABLY  no  class  of  unfortunates  seeking  relief  for 
an  affliction  has  received  as  little  benefit  as  the  stam- 
merer. So  much,  that  is  erroneous  and  contradictory, 
has  been  written  and  said  about  stammering  and  its  cure, 
that  persons  thus  afflicted  have  become  greatly  confused  ; 
and  many  who  have  given  much  time  and  study  to  the 
subject  know  not  what  to  think. 

The  injurious  modes  of  treatment,  resorted  to  by 
surgeons  during  the  early  part  of  the  present  century, 
together  with  the  thousand-and-one  or  more  useless 
theories,  that  have  since  been  advanced  for  the  cure  of 
this  difficulty  by  as  many  charlatans  and  humbugs  have 
probably  served  only  to  make  the  stammerer  the  more 
discouraged,  and  have  crushed  his  hopes  of  ever  obtain- 
ing positive  relief  or  permanent  cure. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  go  into  detail  and  describe  the 
many  nonsensical  ideas  that  stammerers   from  time  to 

— 13  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

time  have  had  imposed  upon  them  by  the  countless 
number  of  "  professors,"  whose  dupes  they  have  been 
and  to  whom  some  of  them  have  paid  large  sums  of 
money.  Many  of  these  persons  have  applied  to  us  for 
treatment,  after  having  been  thus  victimized,  and  have 
related  to  us  their  former  experiences.  One  stated  that 
he  had  been  treated  by  correspondence  and  that  he  had 
been  obliged  to  pay  in  advance  for  each  letter  of  in- 
struction. Another  had  paid  a  large  sum  of  money 
for  a  badly  mutilated  tongue.  A  third  had  been  told, 
as  a  great  secret  by  a  traveling  "  professor  "  (for  which 
he  had  paid  well),  to  wash  his  throat  out  every  night 
with  a  gargle  of  salt  and  water  and  sleep  with  a  pebble 
underneath  his  tongue.  We  have  his  statement  for  it 
that  he  continued  to  do  this  with  faithful  regularity  for 
more  than  two  years.  A  fourth  told  us  that  he  had 
been  under  the  treatment  of  an  advertising  physician, 
and  produced  as  evidence  a  bundle  of  prescriptions.  A 
fifth  had  worn  an  electrical  band  around  his  waist,  to 
which  were  attached  wires  connecting  with  a  pocket 
battery.  A  sixth  had  unluckily  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  a  hypnotist,  who  guaranteed  to  cure  him  in  a  half 
hour.  A  seventh  had  been  placed  under  a  heavy 
penalty  of  revealing  the  secret,  and  told  if  she  would 
move  her  head  backwards  and  forwards  every  time  she 
attempted  to  speak,  she  would  in  this  manner  open  the 
glottis  and  the  result  would  be  a  perfect  and  continuous 
flow  of  speech. 

I  could  go  on  in  this  manner  and  fill  a  whole  vol- 
ume with  the  experiences  of  hundreds  of  stammerers 
who  have  been  thus  defrauded  and  victimized  by  these 

—  14  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

charlatans,  from  many  of  whom  they  received  not  one 
particle  of  benefit,  although  their  experience  cost  them, 
in  many  instances,  an  expenditure  of  a  great  deal  of 
time  and  money.  In  fact,  I  have  arrived  at  the  con- 
clusion that  persons  thus  victimized  are  made  worse 
than  they  were  before  their  contemplation  of  treatment. 
Thus,  for  years  and  years,  have  been  practiced  differ- 
ent modes  and  methods  for  the  cure  of  this  distressing 
malady,  the  unfortunate  sufferer  finding  out  too  late 
that  he  had  been  the  victim  of  some  dishonest  quack, 
willing  to  take  his  money  from  him  regardless  of  the 
benefit  which  he  (the  stammerer)  should  derive  from 
the  experience. 

Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  we  do  not  receive  one  or 
more  letters  giving  a  full  and  detailed  account  of  former 
experiences  through  which  stammerers  thus  victimized 
have  passed.  Many  of  our  correspondents  who  have 
undergone  one  or  more  of  such  treatments  without  suc- 
cess express  grave  doubts  as  to  a  permanent  cure.  We 
never  urge  or  offer  inducements  to  such  persons  to 
undergo  treatment,  but  rest  the  matter  entirely  with 
themselves.  If  our  recommendations  prove  insufficient 
to  convince  them  of  the  merits  of  our  system,  we  furnish 
them  with  the  names  of  a  great  number  of  persons  who 
have  attended  our  Institute  or  who  know  of  the  success 
of  our  work,  and  ask  them  to  write  to  any  or  all,  if  they 
so  desire,  and  ask  an  honest  opinion  concerning  the  re- 
liability of  our  treatment. 

I  would  dwell  longer  on  this  cause  of  distrust  did  I 
not  believe  that  enough  has  already  been  said. 

Professor  Herman  Klencke,  M.  D.,  of  Hanover,  who 

—  15  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

conducted  a  school  for  the  cure  of  stammering  as  early 
as  1840,  and  who  was  probably  one  of  the  first  to  de- 
nounce as  quackery  surgical  operations  and  advance 
radical  ideas  for  the  treatment  of  stammering,  very 
cleverly  draws  the  following  comparison — "  Many  phy- 
sicians and  '  stutter  doctors '  treat  this  disorder  whose 
seat  and  cause  they  know  nothing  about.  The  proce- 
dure seems  to  me,"  continues  Dr.  Klencke,  "  like  that  of 
a  person  who  would  attempt  to  catch  up  with  the  bright 
spot  which  some  one  throws  in  his  way  by  the  reflec- 
tion of  the  sun  on  a  mirror,  and  who  would  strive  to 
tread  out  the  spot  or  cover  it  up  with  his  hands." 

Before  entering  into  a  discussion  of  the  origin  of 
stammering  let  us  first  consider  the  following  definitions : 

Aristotle  defined  stammering  as  the  inability  to  ar- 
ticulate a  certain  letter,  and  stuttering  as  the  inability 
to  join  one  syllable  with  another. 

Mr.  Potter,  one  of  the  latest,  defines  stammering,  as 
commonly  used,  as  "  a  temporary  inability  to  articulate, 
the  organs  being  tightly  held  together ;  stuttering,  as 
the  repeated  utterance  of  one  sound  before  the  next  can 
be  uttered,  both  resulting  from  an  inability  of  the  will 
to  control  the  organs  of  speech  properly,  and  a  defi- 
ciency of  a  ready  response  to  the  will  by  the  organs 
themselves." 

Again  we  read — "  Stammering,  the  inability  to  pro- 
duce certain  sounds,  or  the  substitution  of  one  sound 
for  another." 

I  quote  from  another  authority,  "  Stammering  is  the 
result  of  a  functional  disorder  of  that  portion  of  the 
brain  which  presides  over  the  faculty  of  speech." 

—  16  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

A  number  of  English  and  American  writers  use  the 
terms  stuttering  and  stammering  synonymously. 
Dr.  Klencke  draws  the  parallel  as  follows : 


STUTTERING 

ist.  The  Stutterer  immediately  be- 
gins to  stutter  violently  when  he  is 
observed,  and  shows  a  spasmodic  fear 
and  apprehension. 

2d.  He  does  not  betray  his  defect 
in  slow,  measured  declamation  or  in 
singing,  or  when  talking  in  syllabic 
measure. 

3d.  He  exhibits  an  agitation  of 
his  respiratory  organs  and  conges- 
tion of  the  blood  in  the  chest  and 
head,  which  is  increased  in  propor- 
tion to  his  efforts  to  overcome  his 
difficulty,  and  there  appears  a  con- 
vulsive action  of  the  chest,  throat, 
and  head. 

4th.  He  can  correctly  form  all  con- 
sonants as  separate  sounds,  without 
a  loud  tone  or  in  a  whisper,  but  be- 
gins at  once  to  stutter  if  he  attempts 
to  join  certain  sounds  with  the  voice 
or  with  a  vowel.  His  voice  evidently 
fails  by  the  wrong  action  of  the 
mechanism  of  the  muscles,  respira- 
tion, and  voice  function. 


STAMMERING 

ist.  The  Stammerer  usually  speaks 
better  when  he  is  observed  and 
thus  forced  to  pay  attention  to  him- 
self, and  only  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances does  he  show  fear  and  appre- 
hension. 

2d.  He  betrays  his  defect  when 
careless,  in  singing,  declamation,  and 
measured  talking. 

3d.  He  never  exhibits  an  agitation 
of  his  respiratory  and  blood  circu- 
lating organs,  neither  nervous  nor 
convulsive  action,  and  by  action  of 
his  will  he  can  partly  or  wholly  over- 
come his  defect. 

4th.  He  does  not  have  the  least 
difficulty  in  the  formation  of  his 
voice.  He  betrays  his  defect  as  much 
in  loud  talking  as  in  whispering, 
and  the  combination  of  his  defective 
sounds  with  the  vowel  meets  with 
hindrance. 


In  addition  to  the  above,  Dr.  Klencke  also  gives 
the  following :  "  Stuttering  is  a  defect  which  is  mani- 
fest only  in  talking  and  not  in  singing  or  declaiming. 
Its  causes  lie  in  the  auxiliary  organs  of  speech  in  the 
organs  of  respiration  and  vocalization,  without  the  artic- 
ulating organs  being  primarily  affected. 


—  17  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

"  Stammering,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  defect  which  is 
manifest  the  same  in  singing  and  declaiming  as  in  talk- 
ing. Its  causes  lie  in  the  organs  between  the  larynx 
and  the  lips,  in  the  articulating  organs." 

Prof.  A.  Kussmaul,  of  Strassburg,  says,  in  Ziems- 
sen's  Cyclopedia  of  the  Practice  of  Medicine,  Vol.  14, 
page  633,  "  Stammering  consists  in  the  incapacity  to 
pronounce  the  letters  properly,  while  in  stuttering  there 
is  temporarily  a  spasmodic  inability  to  vocalize  certain 
sounds,  especially  the  explosive  consonants." 

The  above  definitions  are  but  a  few  of  a  great 
number  we  have  been  given  at  different  times  by  differ- 
ent authorities.  In  fact,  such  a  great  number  of  the- 
ories have  been  advanced,  probably  for  the  reason  that 
scarcely  two  persons  experience  this  difficulty  in  exactly 
the  same  manner  or  under  the  same  conditions,  that 
the  stammerer  has  been  compelled  to  accept  a  con- 
glomeration of  ideas,  concerning  the  real  nature  of  his 
malady,  and  grope  his  way  in  the  dark  in  his  effort  to 
free  himself  from  his  unfortunate  affliction. 

Stammering  has  been  confounded  with  stuttering 
and  vice  versa,  in  consequence  of  which  a  multitude  of 
entirely  dissimilar  conditions  of  abnormal  speech  have 
been  neaped  together  and  designated  either  stammer- 
ing or  stuttering,  a  general  cure  applied,  which, 
in  a  few  cases  proved  successful.  The  entanglement 
became  still  more  increased  when  the  ignorance  with 
regard  to  stuttering,  under  which  term  at  one  time  all 
other  defects  of  speech  were  included,  stimulated  the 
surgical  craze  to  search  for  local  causes.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  entanglement  of  ideas  concerning  the 

—  18  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

real  causes  and  conditions  of  stammering  there  sprang 
forth  as  many  ideas  setting  forth  innumerable  methods 
of  treatment.  I  do  not  wish  to  infer  that  all  per- 
sons thus  interested  were  impostors,  but  would  rather 
attribute  the  mistakes  of  many  of  them  to  ignorance  of 
the  true  origin  of  the  difficulty.  While  many  errors 
were  thus  being  made,  much  good  was  being  accom- 
plished, although  the  stammerer's  tongue  oftentimes 
suffered  mutilation  and  untold  misery  for  crimes  of 
which  it  was  not  guilty. 

The  continued  investigation  on  the  part  of  eminent 
scientists  and  physicians  in  search  for  an  infallible 
method  of  cure  brought  forth  advanced  ideas,  which 
sooner  or  later  must  abolish  the  crude  theories  of  early 
investigators. 

To  the  painstaking  efforts  of  a  few  who  gave  almost 
their  entire  lives  to  the  study  of  this  neglected  subject 
are  we  indebted  for  the  fundamental  principles  from 
which  modern  methods  of  treatment  have  evolved. 
When  I  say  modern  methods  of  treatment  I  do  not 
refer  to  the  many  schemes  and  trickeries  that  have 
been  imposed  upon  the  stammerer  by  charlatans  or 
pretentious  "  professors,"  some  of  whom  know  not  the 
first  principle  of  the  correct  basis  for  voice  or  tone  pro- 
duction, and  a  few  of  whom  have  amassed  ill-gained 
fortunes  from  the  unfortunates  who  were  unlucky 
enough  to  fall  into  their  clutches.  I  refer  to  the  meth- 
ods of  treatment  and  of  business  dealing  entertained  by 
a  few  conscientious  and  practical  workers,  who  are 
endeavoring  in  behalf  of  the  stammerer  to  not  only 
crush  out  the  trickery  and  deception  of  these  undeserv- 

—  19 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ing  persons  and  bury  the  crude  practices  of  surgery, 
but  who  are  striving  to  give  to  their  fellowmen  a  practical 
and  thorough  means  of  eradication  for  an  affliction  that 
is  probably  one  of  the  most  severe,  certainly  one  of  the 
most  neglected,  of  all  human  ailments. 

In  conclusion  of  my  remarks  concerning  the  differ- 
ence between  the  definitions  of  the  terms  "stammering" 
and  "stuttering,"  I  give  herewith,  in  a  single  sentence, 
the  concensus  of  opinion  of  the  best  authorities  of  mod- 
ern times  of  this  country  and  Europe,  supported  by 
my  own  personal  experience  as  a  sufferer  from  a 
most  severe  type  of  stammering  for  more  than  twenty 
years. 

Stammering.  The  inability,  under  certain  con- 
ditions, to  articulate,  or  control  the  organs  of  speech, 
which  are  usually,  under  such  circumstances,  tightly 
held  together,  accompanied  in  many  cases,  by  the  sub- 
stitution of  one  sound  for  another. 

Stuttering.  A  defect  in  respiration  and  vocal- 
ization, oftentimes  causing  spasmodic  action  or  the 
rapid  repetition  of  one  word  or  syllable  before  the  fol- 
lowing one  can  be  uttered. 

The  former  is  due  to  a  deficiency  or  lack  of  exer- 
cise and  control  of  mental  energy  of  the  will  over  the 
organs  of  utterance,  and  is  usually  accompanied  by 
contorting  the  features,  rolling  the  eyes,  or  drawing  the 
limbs.  The  latter,  due  to  an  improper  manner  of 
breathing  and  vocalization,  is  usually  accompanied  by 
spasmodic  actions  of  not  only  the  speaking  organs,  but 
oftentimes  the  whole  body  becomes  violently  convulsed 
and  contorted. 

—  20  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Having  thus  considered  the  definitions  of  stammer- 
ing and  stuttering,  let  us  now  enter  into  and  discuss  the 
real  origin  or  primary  cause  of  this  difficulty.  If  you 
will  follow  me  closely,  I  will  endeavor  to  carry  you  with 
me  through  a  practical  and  scientific  investigation,  and 
locate,  if  possible,  the  real  source  and  origin  of  stammer- 
ing. I  shall  confine  my  statements  wholly  to  my  own 
practical  views  on  the  subject,  gathered  from  years  of 
careful  study  of  recognized  authorities  and  from  contact 
with  many  persons  thus  afflicted,  both  before  and  since 
my  cure. 

We  have  already  determined  that  stammering  is  an 
impediment  of  the  speech.  Let  us  consider.  What  is 
speech?  Tupper  has  very  appropriately  said,  "Speech 
is  the  golden  harvest  that  followeth  the  flowering  of 
thought." 

Speech  may  also  be  considered  a  means  of  convey- 
ance. I  might  quote  many  definitions  for  this  term, 
but.  do  not  think  it  necessary.  It  conveys  to  us  by  the 
most  direct  means  the  thoughts  of  men,  and  is  probably 
the  most  important  instrument  God  has  given  to  us. 
Let  us  then  trace  it  to  its  origin,  and,  by  breaking  it  up 
into  different  elements,  analyze  it  to  discover,  if  possible, 
the  original  cause  of  the  stammerer's  difficulty. 

FIRST 

Ideas  are  received,  arising  either  from  immediate 
sensations,  or  originating  in  the  brain  in  an  abstract 
manner,  and  are  arranged  in  proper  succession  by  that 
organ. 

—  21  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

SECOND 

The  will  determines  to  give  this  train  of  ideas  ex- 
pression in  any  way  it  can.  So  far,  the  process  of  action 
can  be  called  only  mental. 

THIRD 

The  stimulation  to  action  of  the  motive  nervous 
system  connected  with  the  speaking  organs. 

FOURTH 

The  motive  nervous  system  thus  stimulated  gener- 
ates to  action  the  vocal  apparatus  resulting  in  articulate 
speech. 

Each  step  is,  of  course,  tributary  to  the  preceding 
one  and  as  long  as  all  act  in  harmony,  one  with  another, 
fluent  speech  and  perfect  articulation  are  the  result. 

The  question  now  arises,  where  in  this  chain  do  we 
find  the  deficiency  that  manifests  itself  in  the  stam- 
merer? Let  us  go  back  and  discuss  the  first  element 
considered. 

To  argue  that  the  elaboration  of  thought  in  the  brain 
of  the  stammerer  is  deficient  and  its  arrangement  for 
production  unsystematic  is  to  argue  that  the  stammerer, 
intellectually  speaking,  is  not  only  weak  minded,  but 
also  lacking  of  intelligence.  Do  we  find  this  to  be  the 
case  ?  The  fact  that  many  of  the  brightest  and  brainest 
men  of  ancient  and  modern  times  have  suffered  from 
stammering  is  conclusive  evidence  that  stammering  is 

—  22  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

not  due  at  least  to  any  lack  of  intellectual  power  on  the 
part  of  the  person  thus  afflicted. 

History  tells  us  of  many  notable  persons  who  have 
stammered. 

It  is  announced  that  Louis  II.  of  France  and 
Michael  II.  were  both  surnamed  Le  Begue,  meaning 
stammerer.  Louis  XIII.  of  France  was  also  a  stam- 
merer. The  Rev.  Canon  Kingsley  was  a  stam- 
merer. Charles  Lamb  was  a  stutterer,  and  the  notable 
physicians,  Viosin,  Palmer,  Chegoin,  Merkel,  Guil- 
laume,  D'Alais,  Bacquerel,  and  Cohen  were  all  stam- 
merers. ^Esop,  Virgil,  and  Demosthenes  were  likewise 
afflicted.  Mrs.  Inchbold,  the  famous  English  actress, 
was  another  who  triumphed  over  a  difficulty  of  speech. 
Mahomet-el-Rasser,  King  of  Spain;  Eric,  King  of 
Sweden;  Admiral  Annebant;  Tahtaglia,  the  Italian 
engineer ;  Bossy  d'  Anglas,  the  painter ;  Daird ;  the 
critic  Hoffman ;  Camille  Desmoulins,  celebrated  French 
revolutionist  and  journalist,  and  Martin  F.  Tupper,  the 
celebrated  English  poet,  all  suffered  from  stammering 
as  did  also  the  Hon.  Wm.  A.  Graham,  United  States 
Senator  and  Governor  of  North  Carolina  in  1850. 
Allusions  to  this  disorder  are  found  also  in  the  Bible. 
Moses  was  a  notable  example.  The  Ephraimites,  and 
those  whom  Jesus  cured  of  their  impediments  of  speech. 

Having  thoroughly  satisfied  ourselves  that  the 
defect  is  not  manifest  in  the  first  element  of  speech,  let 
us  proceed  to  and  consider  the  second. —  The  will 
determines  to  give  this  train  of  ideas  expression  in  any 
way  it  can. —  Is  the  desire  to  give  utterance  by  physical 
act  to  internal  thought  in  any  way  necessarily  lacking 

—  23  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

in  the  stammerer  originally?  If  so,  the  defect  must 
arise  from  either  excessive  or  deficient  energy  or  desire, 
in  which  case  we  would  find  that  the  stammerer,  dur- 
ing infancy,  before  speech  is  complete,  would  be  wholly 
unable  to  cry.  It  uses  this  means  of  making  known  its 
wants,  and  if  the  defect  originated  from  a  deficient  or 
excessive  mental  desire,  we  would  find  this  child,  when 
it  attempted  to  make  known  its  wants,  would  not  only 
be  wholly  unable  to  do  so,  but  would,  through  its 
efforts,  betray  all  the  symptoms  of  a  stammerer.  We 
usually  find,  however,  that  the  stammerer  as  a  child 
does  not  betray  the  symptoms  of  his  affliction.  It  is 
not  until  a  more  complex  action  is  thrown  upon  his 
motive  powers  that  his  defect  is  noticeable. 

Let  us  consider  the  third. — The  stimulation  to 
action  of  the  motive  nervous  system  connected  with  the 
speaking  organs. — My  belief  is  that  here  in  this  medium, 
which  might  appropriately  be  termed  The  mental 
energy  of  the  will  acting  on  the  accumulated  nervous 
force  of  the  motor  organism  of  the  body,  exists  the 
original  cause  of  abnormal  speech.  I  believe  that  there 
exists  in  some  persons  an  idiosyncrasy  amounting 
probably  to  an  irritability  or  sensibility  of  fibre  in  that 
portion  of  the  brain  which  controls  the  motions 
requisite  for  the  production  of  speech,  and  that  this  pe- 
culiarity exposes  this  portion  of  the  brain  to  be  most 
easily  disarranged  with  the  result  that  the  organs  co-op- 
erating are  thrown  into  spasmodic  action  by  the  ordi- 
nary mental  desire  to  speak.  The  peculiarity  would 
appear  to  me  rather  a  difference  in  sensibility  than  in 
structure,  from  the  circumstance  that  very  many  fluent 

—  24~ 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

speakers  if  not  all  persons  are,  in  a  measure,  liable  to 
the  affection.  Very  powerful  causes,  such  as  horror, 
excessive  perplexity,  or  shame  will,  under  some  cir- 
cumstances, partially  paralyze  or  convulse  the  power  of 
speech  in  ordinary  persons.  The  great  distinction, 
however,  being  that  the  stammerer  requires  but  a 
slight  cause  to  overturn  the  balance  of  his  machinery 
of  speech,  while  the  ordinary  individual  would  require 
some  extreme  cause,  such  as  seldom  occurs,  to  affect 
his  fluency,  and  even  then  can  easily  recover  again  by 
the  exercise  of  his  will  and  reasoning  faculties. 

Having  by  this  analysis  detected  what  would  ap- 
pear to  be  the  weak  point,  let  us  now  proceed  to  the 
fourth  element  and  find  if  there,  too,  exists  any  de- 
ficiency that  would  cause  stammering.  You  will  at 
once  agree  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  ground  for  the 
supposition  that  stammering  is  in  any  way  attributable 
to  physical  defect  or  direct  physical  inaction  of  the 
vocal  apparatus.  The  effect  of  the  difficulty  experi- 
enced by  the  stammerer  is,  of  course,  manifest  to  the 
observer  principally  in  the  organs  of  speech,  yet  the 
real  cause  of  the  malady  is  of  a  more  obscure  origin 
and  by  no  means  attributable  to  malformation  of  the 
speaking  organs. 

From  an  experience  of  meeting  many  hundred 
stammerers,  I  have  as  yet  never  found  one  case  where 
the  difficulty  was  attributable  to  wrongly  formed  organs 
of  speech.  The  fact  that  the  stammerer  can  sometimes 
sing  without  the  slightest  difficulty,  can  oftentimes  read 
aloud  to  himself  without  the  least  fear  of  hesitation,  and 
can  at  times  speak   perfectly  words   that   give   him  the 

—  25  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

greatest  difficulty  generally,  is  sufficient  evidence  in 
proof  of  the  above  assertion.  I  do  not  wish  to  infer 
that  the  stammerer  is  any  different  in  this  respect  from 
other  persons.  Because  he  stammers,  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  his  organs  of  speech  are  perfect,  but  he  is  no 
more  likely  to  suffer  from  malformation  of  the  organs 
of  speech  than  are  persons  not  afflicted  with  stam- 
mering. 

I  scarcely  think  it  necessary  to  offer  any  further 
argument  in  support  of  my  statement  that  the  real 
origin  of  the  stammerer's  difficulty  is  found  in  the  third 
element  considered.  For  abstract  mind  to  act  on  ab- 
stract bodily  organs,  it  is  necessary  that  there  be  a 
medium.  In  this  medium,  I  believe,  exists,  the  real 
origin  of  the  stammerer's  difficulty.  Though  hesitation 
is  only  a  thing  of  degree  from  the  most  fluent  speaker 
down  to  the  most  convulsed  stammerer,  yet  practically 
speaking,  stammering  does  not  begin  until  hesitation 
has  arrived  at  such  a  pitch  that  the  sufferer,  by  the 
exercise  of  his  reasoning  faculties,  cannot  collect  him- 
self and  become  master  of  the  situation. 

The  reason  that  many  children  do  not  betray  the 
affliction  of  stammering  until  they  have  attained  the  age 
of  boyhood,  is  because  in  early  life  the  mental  desire  is 
not  excessive.  It  is  probably  the  same  as  in  any  other 
child  endeavoring  to  be  understood.  As  life  advances, 
mental  power  develops,  and  when  the  child  has  become 
sufficiently  old  to  use  its  mental  functions  to  any  de- 
gree, it  discovers  an  inability  to  express  itself,  either 
from  hesitancy  or  convulsive  action.  This  difficulty  is 
owing  to  the  disturbance  of  mental  emotion,  the  child 

—  26  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

through  original  physical  weakness*  not  being  able  to 
bear  more  than  the  ordinary  stimulus  of  the  mind  and 
will  without  betraying  its  defect.  During  the  earlier 
days  of  its  childhood,  the  mental  activity  was  not  as 
great,  and  hence  the  child  stammered  but  little  or 
probably  not  at  all. 

The  attention  of  the  child  is  continually  attracted  to 
this  peculiarity,  which  soon  becomes  second  nature  to 
it,  and  added  to  the  original  physical  weakness,  the 
constantly  increasing  mental  emotion  soon  overbalances 
the  equilibrium  of  control,  and  although  the  original 
physical  weakness  may  almost  entirely  disappear  as  the 
child  advances  in  age,  yet  the  difficulty  of  stammering 
remains. 

It  is  an  impossibility  to  determine,  in  any  case  of 
stammering,  the  exact  amount  of  excess  of  mental  emo- 
tion or  deficiency  of  motive  power. 

Arguing  from  a  supposition  that  these  two  influ- 
ences, mental  emotion  and  motive  power,  equally  dis- 
tributed would  give  to  a  person  the  ability  to  converse 
without  hesitation  under  ordinary  circumstances,  I  will 
endeavor  to  demonstrate  by  means  of  bodies  of  com- 
parative sizes  the  difference  between  mild  and  severe 
types  of  stammering. 


*  There  appears  to  exist  in  many  stammerers  a  condition  predisposed  to  the 
development  of  the  defect.  This  idiosyncrasy  exposes  the  brain  fibre  to  easy 
disarrangement,  and  the  organs  co-operating  are  thrown  into  spasmodic  ac- 
tion by  the  ordinary  mental  desire  to  speak. 


—  27  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


No.  i 

This  body  represents  a  person  who  can  talk 
without  hesitation  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances. If  confronted  with  embarrassment, 
excitement,  shame,  or  perplexity,  mental  emo- 
tion would  increase  to  a  degree  sufficient  to 
overbalance  motive  power,  resulting  in  hesita- 
tion, stammering,  or  convulsive  action. 


No.  2 

This  body  represents  a  stammerer  wholly 
unable  to  control  himself  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances. 


No  I 


^Motive 
pbWer/ 


No2 


No.  3 

This  body  represents  a  person  who  con- 
tinually suffers  from  hesitation  or  who  is 
addicted  to  stammering  in  a  slight  degree. 


No.  4 

This  body  represents  a  most  violent  and 
severe  form  of  stammering,  oftentimes  accom- 
panied by  dreadful  contortions  of  the  face  and 
convulsive  action  of  the  muscles  and  limbs. 


No.  5 

This  body  represents  the  ordinary  individ- 
ual. Such  a  person  would  hesitate  only  under 
extreme  excitement,  and  would  rarely  if  ever 
lose  control  of  his  speech. 


Mental 
Emotion 


yMotive 
Pov/er* 


—  28 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

No  6 
No.  6 


This  body  represents  unusual  ability  to 
speak  with  confidence  under  the  most  trying 
test  or  circumstances,  without  the  slightest 
uneasiness  or  apprehension  of  imperfect  ut- 
terance. 


.'/Motive    : 
V  "'•--• pbWcp 


The  illustrations  herewith  presented  represent  but 
four  different  classes  or  degrees  of  stammering.  There 
will  be  found  to  exist  as  many  different  degrees  of 
stammering  as  there  are  individuals  afflicted,  as  scarcely 
two  persons  can  be  found  who  experience  difficulty  in 
exactly  the  same  manner.  The  influences,  too,  that 
cause  the  stammerer  to  betray  his  defect  may  be  en- 
tirely different.  One  person  will  invariably  stammer 
when  brought  into  the  presence  of  strangers,  but  never 
experience  much  difficulty  among  the  members  of  his 
own  household.  Another  will  scarcely,  if  ever,  betray 
his  defect  before  strangers,  but  will  invariably  stammer 
when  in  conversation  with  immediate  friends.  One 
person  can  speak  from  a  platform  to  a  public  audience 
after  he  has  once  entered  into  his  subject,  the  great 
difficulty  being  in  getting  started.  Another  is  able  to 
begin  without  the  slightest  apparent  difficulty,  but  will 
continually  stammer  when  he  gets  warmed  up  to  the 
occasion. 

While  it  may  be  impossible  to  analyze  the  different 
phenomena  of  innumerable  cases  of  this  kind,  we  can 
without  difficulty  draw  a  parallel  between  two  distinct 
and  separate  classes.  I  will  call  these  for  brevity  and 
illustration: 

—  29  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


A 
THE  PHYSICAL  TYPE 


B 

THE  MENTAL  TYPE 


The  former  (A)  is  comparatively  but  little  compli- 
cated with  mental  emotion,  while  on  the  other  hand  the 
latter  (B)  has  probably  lost  much  of  the  original  phys- 
ical weakness,  but  from  the  overbalance  of  the  equilib- 
rium or  control,  suffers  materially  from  mental 
emotion  and  is  easily  agitated  and  made  worse.  Some 
cases  of  the  mental  type,  however,  retain  much  of  the 
original  physical  defect. 

The  nature  of  the  former  is  almost  entirely  due  to 
lack  of  motive  power  or  original  physical  weakness, 
while  the  nature  of  the  latter  is  almost  entirely  mental, 
the  result  of  continually  increasing  and  decreasing  men- 
tal emotion.  Stammerers  who  come  under  the  denomi- 
nation of  Class  A  are  troubled  continually,  more  or  less, 
never  much  better,  never  much  worse,  always  about  the 
same.  Excitement,  shame,  perplexity,  anxiety,  embar- 
rassment, or  impaired  health  does  not  much  increase  the 
severity  of  their  affliction,  while  on  the  other  hand 
stammerers  who  might  be  designated  as  belonging  to 
Class  B  experience  during  certain  periods  and  while 
under  certain  conditions,  scarcely  any  difficulty,  but 
when  suddenly  confronted  with  excitement,  shame, 
perplexity,  anxiety,  or  when  suffering  from  fatigue,  ex- 
haustion, or  impaired  health,  they  invariably  stammer 
and  sometimes  violently. 

Mr.  A  has  the  ability  to  address  a  public  audience 
with  as  little  trouble  as  he  might  experience  when  read- 
ing aloud  to  himself,  while  Mr.  B  could  read  aloud  to 

_3o  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

himself  with  perfect  ease  and  composure,  but  when 
called  upon  to  speak  publicly,  owing  to  his  stronger 
mental  emotions,  would  be  wholly  unable  to  do  so  with- 
out betraying  his  impediment  to  a  very  great  extent. 

The  different  peculiarities  of  stammering  manifested 
in  persons  belonging  to  either  class  would  fill  several 
complete  volumes.  The  constant  apprehension  of  fear 
on  the  subject  of  speaking  entertained  by  the  stammerer 
keeps  his  nerves  continually  in  a  state  of  agitation  and 
unrest.  His  anxiety  to  speak  fluently,  the  dread  and 
fear  that  he  may  not  be  able  to  do  so,  together  with  the 
humiliation  of  an  exhibition  of  his  infirmity  combine  to 
increase  the  severity  of  his  affliction.  Many  persons 
believe  that  stammering  is  the  result  of  nervousness, 
but  a  second  thought  would,  I  think,  convince  them 
that  nervousness  is  more  often  the  result  of  stammering. 
This  has  been  my  experience,  and  the  proof  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  when  the  stammerer  has  gained  con- 
trol of  his  speaking  organs,  his  nervousness  has  almost 
entirely  disappeared.  Having  become  master  of  the 
situation,  there  is  not  the  least  fear  or  apprehension  on 
the  subject  of  speaking,  and  thus  the  one  great  agi- 
tator of  his  nervous  system  having  been  removed, 
gradually  the  nerves  settle  back  to  a  normal  condition 
of  rest  giving  the  once  nervous  and  prostrated  sufferer 
complete  self-control. 

Persons  who  stutter,  usually  suffer  only  in  a  slight 
degree  from  an  excess  of  mental  emotion  typical  with 
the  stammerer. 

The  physical  weakness  of  the  stutterer  may  almost 
entirely  disappear  and  yet  the  stuttering  habit  remain, 

—  31  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

owing  to  recollection,  carelessness,  force  of  habit,  and 
association. 

The  origin  of  stuttering  is  not  generally  attributable 
to  the  same  source  as  the  origin  of  stammering,  and 
stuttering  is  more  easily  conquered  and  subdued.  This 
is  explained  by  the  fact  that  when  the  original  physical 
weakness  of  the  stammerer  disappears,  we  have  left  the 
mental  phase  of  the  difficulty  to  contend  with,  while 
with  the  stutterer,  we  have  but  to  correct  an  improper 
mode  of  respiration  and  vocalization,  strengthen  and 
develop  the  vocal  and  respiratory  organs  and  gain  an 
equilibrium  of  control.  This  accomplished,  we  have 
established  a  foundation  upon  which  to  build  a  cure. 

The  diagnosis  and  symptoms  of  a  number  of  cases 
that  have  come  under  my  observation  would  indicate 
that  not  a  few  persons  who  stammer  and  who  suffer 
from  excessive  mental  emotion  have  also  acquired 
peculiar  forms  of  stuttering.  In  their  strained  and 
labored  efforts  to  give  utterance  to  certain  syllables  or 
words,  they  have  unconsciously  acquired  an  improper 
mode  of  breathing.  Losing  control  of  their  respiratory 
organs,  they  become  wholly  unable  to  vocalize  certain 
sounds,  their  efforts  resulting  in  contraction  or  convul- 
sive action. 

Whatever  may  be  the  outward  manifestation  of 
stammering  or  stuttering,  one  who  has  not  passed 
through  the  ordeal  can  form  no  conception  of  the  mental 
torture  endured  by  persons  who  are  thus  unfortunately 
afflicted. 


—  32  — 


CURABLE  AND  INCURABLE 

FORMS   OF    STAMMERING 


BY  GEO.  ANDREW  LEWIS 


Paper  read  before  the  Michigan  Association  of  Elocutionists  at  Ann  Arbor 
Michigan,   January  9th,  1897. 

Many  persons  appear  to  think  that  the  term  Stam- 
mering is  synonymous  with  Stuttering,  and  that  all  forms 
of  imperfect  speech  accompanied  by  convulsive  action 
or  emotion  are  similar  in  type.  In  other  words,  they  do 
not  seem  to  realize  that  there  is  a  difference  of  form  in 
stammering,  but  regard  all  forms  as  stammering,  and 
under  this  head  classify  as  one  many  different  types. 
While  it  may  in  a  general  way  be  correct  to  classify  all 
under  one  head,  yet,  professionally  speaking,  there  are 
almost  as  may  different  types  of  stammering  as  there 
are  types  of  man,  and  each  one  has  its  own  peculiar 
phenomenon. 

Before  entering  into  a  discussion  of  different  forms, 
it  might  be  well  to  make  a  division  or  classification. 

3  —  33  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

STAMMERING  AND  STUTTERING 

While  we  all  know  that  stammering  as  generally 
accepted  embraces  both  of  these  forms,  yet  each  has 
a  distinct  and  separate  meaning  and  can  again  be 
subdivided  and  admits  of  numerous  classifications. 
Stammering  is  more  often  inherited,  the  result  of  a 
predisposed  condition ;  while  stuttering,  which  closely 
resembles  it,  takes  it  origin  through  nervous  weakness. 
However,  this  is  not  always  the  case,  as  stuttering  is 
oftentimes  converted  or  allowed  to  develop  into  stam- 
mering. Stammering  is  almost  wholly  a  disease  of  the 
mind  or  a  mental  condition,  while  on  the  other  hand, 
stuttering  is  generally  due  to  an  improper  manner  of 
respiration  or  of  syllabication,  and  is  largely  an  acquired 
or  physical  condition.  When  I  state  that  stuttering  is 
sometimes  converted  into  stammering,  I  mean  that  a 
physical  condition  becomes  a  mental  one.  Stuttering 
is  generally  accompanied  with  more  dreadful  facial  con- 
tortions and  convulsive  action  of  the  limbs  than  stam- 
mering, and  it  is  partly  for  this  reason  (owing  to  such 
intense  agony  and  humiliation  over  the  exhibition  of  his 
infirmity)  that  his  case  develops  into  stammering.  The 
fatigue,  worry,  and  exhaustion  makes  his  condition  a 
mental  one.  Sometimes  we  have  to  deal  with  cases  of 
this  kind  that  are  under  process  of  evolution,  and  which 
we  term 

COMBINED  STAMMERING  AND  STUTTERING 

Stammering  never  evolves  into  stuttering,  but,  as 
already  demonstrated,  stuttering,  if  neglected,  oftentimes 

—  34  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

becomes  stammering.  Persons  who  suffer  from  a  type 
of  combined  stammering  and  stuttering  usually  manifest 
a  wrong  mode  of  respiration,  are  addicted  in  a  slight 
degree  to  the  rapid  repetition  of  their  words  and  sylla- 
bles, and  yet  oftentimes  are  wholly  unable  to  raise  their 
voice  to  express  a  word.  My  intention  is  to  present  to 
you  a  number  of  the  most  important  forms  of  stammer- 
ing that  are  curable  and  a  few  that  are  incurable. 

STUTTERING 

The  stutterer  no  doubt  is  responsible  for  all  the  rid- 
icule that  is  heaped  upon  the  stammerer  and  for  all  the 
mirth  that  some  people  seem  to  enjoy  over  his  sad  con- 
dition. He  invariably  repeats  his  words  or  syllables  in 
rapid  and  quick  succession,  and  oftentimes  resorts  to 
various  physical  movements,  apparently  to  aid  him  in 
his  efforts.  He  pulls  chairs,  slaps  or  pounds  himself, 
involuntarily,  rolls  his  eyes,  and  contorts  his  features. 
Strange  to  say,  I  have  known  some  stutterers  of  this 
type  who  proved  the  most  susceptible  to  treatment,  and 
were  entirely  cured  in  an  incredibly  short  time.  This 
can  only  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  the  diffi- 
culty was  largely  of  the  physical  type,  and  had  little  if 
any  mental  complication.  With  obedience  to  instruc- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  patient,  and  with  an  ordinary 
amount  of  intelligence,  any  case  of  stuttering  is  curable. 

STAMMERING 

It  can  be  said  of  the  stammerer  that  he  is  generally 
unable  to  make  a  beginning.     He  knows  what  he  wants 

—  35  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

to  say,  but  is  unable  to  utter  a  sound.  As  already  ex- 
plained, his  defect  is  rather  one  of  the  mind  than  of  the 
speech,  the  organs  of  speech  merely  acting  as  an  out- 
ward manifestation  of  an  abnormal  condition  of  the 
brain. 

STAMMERING  FROM  HEREDITY 

Probably  the  most  severe  form  of  stammering,  and 
one  of  the  most  difficult  to  successfully  manipulate,  is 
that  which  comes  from  heredity.  Such  cases  are  not 
by  any  means  rare,  as  a  great  number  of  those  with 
which  we  have  to  deal  originate  from  this  source.  There 
is  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  a  disposition  toward 
stammering  can  be  inherited  and  transmitted  from  one 
generation  to  another,  and,  in  this  connection,  I  will  say 
that  I  know  of  one  family  in  which  no  less  than  sixteen 
persons  are  addicted  to  stammering.  This  number  em- 
braces brothers,  sisters,  uncles,  aunts,  and  cousins,  and 
nearly  every  one  of  them  are  troubled  similarly.  Cases 
of  hereditary  stammering  in  one  family  rarely  bear  the 
same  manifestations.  The  father  may  be  addicted  to 
stuttering  of  a  most  violent  form,  and  his  son  afflicted 
with  a  type  of  stammering  that  would  appear  to  the  ob- 
server entirely  different.  Wherever  persons  in  one  fam- 
ily are  addicted  to  stammering,  we  rarely  find  two  who 
stammer  similarly.  In  hereditary  stammering,  we  have 
a  condition  of  the  mind  that  in  the  beginning  is  abnor- 
mal and  which  requires  mental  training  and  discipline 
to  thoroughly  eradicate.  Cases  of  hereditary  stammer- 
ing are  common  and  with  proper  treatment  and  care, 
can  be  entirely  overcome. 

-36- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  stammering  itself  can 
be  inherited.  This,  however,  is  a  wrong  supposition. 
A  condition,  or  disposition,  favorable  to  the  develop- 
ment of  stammering  can  be  inherited,  but  stammering 
itself  cannot  be  inherited.  If  stammering  could  be 
transmitted  from  one  generation  to  another  we  would 
find  that  children  disposed  to  stammer  would  exhibit 
their  defect  at  their  earliest  infancy.  This  we  rarely 
find,  and,  in  fact,  never  unless  the  child  so  disposed  be 
surrounded  with  stammering  parents  and  stammering 
influences.  On  the  contrary,  we  find  in  the  majority 
of  cases,  that  the  child  stammerer  (even  where  its  in- 
firmity is  said  to  be  due  to  heredity)  does  not  com- 
mence to  stammer  when  it  first  begins  to  talk,  or,  in 
other  words,  its  stammering  does  not  begin  until  after 
it  has  acquired  a  perfectly  correct  and  natural  manner 
of  talking. 

It  is  said  that  consumption  cannot  be  inherited.  One 
can  be  favorably  disposed  to  the  development  of  this 
dread  disease,  and  the  disposition  towards  it  can  exist 
in  a  whole  family.  Yet  with  proper  climatic  changes 
and  otherwise,  a  means  can  often  be  had  to  entirely 
prevent  its  ravages.  It  can,  in  fact,  be  so  guarded  that 
all  danger,  or,  at  least,  danger  to  a  reasonable  degree,  is 
wholly  warded  off.  What  otherwise  would  have  been 
a  complete  wreck  can  sometimes  with  care  from  the 
beginning  be  made  a  robust  constitution.  This  also 
is  true  of  stammering.  From  its  earliest  infancy  sur- 
round the  child  who  has  inherited  a  disposition  to 
stammer  with  persons  who  talk  well,  never  unduly 
excite   it,  never  tickle  it,   avoid    for  it  every   possible 

—  37  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

form  of  sickness  accompanied  by  fever,  never  subject  it 
to  shame  or  ridicule,  or  otherwise  place  it  in  an  embar- 
rassing position,  take  it  away  from  every  stammering 
influence  and  from  every  person  who  stammers,  allow 
it  to  acquire  correct  articulation  and  a  correct  manner  of 
speaking  from  observation,  listening,  and  mimicry,  and 
look  carefully  after  its  health.  After  it  has  attained  its 
tenth  year  guard  its  morals  and  habits  until  its  six- 
teenth year.  Feed  it  on  wholesome,  plain  diet  and  have 
it  take  plenty  of  out-of-door  exercise.  After  you  have 
done  all  this  you  can  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  make  a  per- 
fect talker  out  of  what  otherwise  would  prove  a  case  of 
inherited  stammering,  but  which,  if  properly  taken  care 
of  from  the  beginning,  can  be  largely  prevented  and  in 
the  majority  of  cases  entirely  overcome. 


STAMMERING  FROM  FRIGHT 

While,  personally,  I  know  of  but  few  cases  that  owe 
their  origin  to  fright,  yet  statistics  prove  that  such  cases 
frequently  occur.  I  have  within  my  recollection  a  few 
cases  of  this  kind,  and  have  generally  found  that  they 
are  of  a  milder  form  than  other  cases  of  which  I  have 
spoken.  However,  among  cases  of  this  kind,  I  remem- 
ber an  extremely  difficult  one.  The  parents  of  the  boy 
told  me  that  during  his  early  childhood,  he  had  fallen 
upon  a  splinter,  which  cut  his  mouth  badly  and  tore 
away  a  portion  of  his  tongue.  The  nervous  shock  and 
fright  thereby  occasioned  had  caused  the  child  to  stam- 
nr  r,  and  it  was  only  after  a  long  and  persistent  treat- 

-38- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ment  that  we  succeeded  in  entirely  overcoming  his 
difficulty.  It  has  been  claimed  that  stammering  caused 
by  fright  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  forms  to  cure,  but 
from  my  own  experience  in  the  matter,  such  has  not 
been  the  case. 

STAMMERING  CAUSED  BY  SICKNESS 

We  not  infrequently  meet  with  cases  of  stammering 
that  began  after  severe  illness.  It  might  be  well  to  state 
here  that  in  every  such  case,  the  sickness  occasioning 
the  difficulty  was  accompanied  with  high  fever,  diph- 
theria, scarlet  fever,  typhoid  fever,  mumps,  measles, 
bronchitis,  etc.,  etc.  The  circumstance  that  it  is  only  in 
cases  of  sickness  accompanied  with  delirium  that  we 
have  the  manifestations  of  stammering  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  the  fever  was  wholly  responsible  for  this 
uncontrollable  condition,  and  largely  responsible  for  the 
permanent  injury  effected.  We  find  stammering  follow- 
ing severe  illness  only  where  the  latter  is  of  a  feverish 
nature,  which  would  appear  to  strengthen  my  argument 
that  stammering  is  a  disease  of  the  mind.  Persons  who 
attribute  their  stammering  to  illness  sometimes  find, 
upon  investigation,  that  their  organism  was  predisposed 
to  the  development  of  their  defect.  Although  some  of 
their  ancestors  suffered  before  them  from  the  defect, 
they  probably  would  never  have  suffered  but  for  an  ill- 
ness which  lowered  their  vitality,  exhausted  their  en- 
ergy, and  which  gave  their  predisposed  condition  an 
opportunity  to  assert  and  manifest  itself.  In  the  be- 
ginning their  motive  power  to  act  was  not  excessive, 

—  39  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

but  sufficient  to  establish  an  equilibrium  of  control. 
Through  illness,  the  vital  energy  becoming  reduced, 
their  motive  power  of  action  became  deficient.  The 
equilibrium  of  control  once  overthrown,  offered  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  for  the  rapid  development  of  their 
inherited  condition.  This  form  of  stammering  is  gener- 
ally very  susceptible  to  successful  treatment. 

STAMMERING  FROM  MIMICRY 

My  experience  has  been  that  fully  25  per  cent,  of 
persons  who  stammer  have  either  acquired  their  difficulty 
at  the  beginning  from  mimicry,  or  have  unconsciously 
fallen  into  the  habit  through  association  with  other 
persons  thus  afflicted.  At  first,  the  habit  manifests  itself 
much  after  the  form  of  stuttering,  which,  as  explained 
in  the  beginning,  afterwards  terminates  in  stammering. 
In  my  experience  I  have  been  in  communication  with 
many  thousand  persons  who  stammer  and  have  person- 
ally met  a  great  number.  From  what  they  have  told 
me  in  their  letters,  and  from  what  I  have  learned  of 
their  cases,  a  large  percentage  can  attribute  their  diffi- 
culty only  to  mimicry  or  to  association  with  other  per- 
sons so  afflicted.  Such  cases  usually  rapidly  develop 
during  childhood  and  become  chronic  as  the  individual 
advances  in  years.  You  will  remember  that  each  case 
I  have  cited  has  been  due  to  some  mental  disturbance, 
excepting  probably  that  form  which  comes  from  mim- 
icry. This  generally  is  not  a  form  of  stammering,  but 
becomes  stammering  through  worry  and  continued 
mental  agitation  of  the  sufferer.     All  cases  of  stammer- 

—  40  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ing  are  either  the  result  of  a  predisposed  condition,  are 
an  evolutionized  form  of  stuttering,  or  are  the  result  of 
extreme  mental  effort  or  agitation.  Many  children  just 
learning  to  talk  are  made  to  stammer  by  overtaxing 
their  mental  faculties.  The  parents,  noticing  the  par- 
ticularly clear  enunciation  of  the  child,  endeavor  to  have 
it  recite  long  sentences  and  pronounce  extremely  diffi- 
cult words,  with  the  result  that  this  practice  is  often  the 
beginning  of  stammering.  A  child  should  never  be 
tickled  or  in  other  ways  made  to  laugh  too  heartily. 
There  is  a  place  to  draw  the  line,  and  parents  should 
avoid  making  their  little  ones  overstep  the  boundary. 
I  quote  from  Professor  Hermann  Klencke :  "  Stam- 
mering is  not  independent ;  it  is  not  a  disease  by  itself. 
It  is  nothing  that  a  person  can  have  alone  and  be  well 
in  other  respects.  It  is  in  every  case  a  symptom,  only 
a  reflex  action  of  a  predominating  mental  and  physical 
disease." 

In  this  I  think  Professor  Klencke  is  correct.  We 
have  many  different  forms  and  types  of  stammering,  but 
rarely  find  a  case  that  is  not  accompanied  with  an  ab- 
normal condition  of  the  vital  force  and  a  consequent 
functional  nervous  derangement,  the  perverse  action  of 
innervation  and  muscle.  Cases  of  stammering  attribu- 
table to  mimicry  are  generally  not  difficult  to  cure,  as 
the  condition  is  largely  an  acquired  or  physical  one, 
and  has  but  little  of  the  mental  complication. 

Speaking  of  different  forms  of  stammering,  probably 
the  most  severe  type,  barring  the  inherited  condition,  is 
what  might  properly  be  termed  constitutional  stammer- 
ing. 

—  41- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

CONSTITUTIONAL  STAMMERING 

This  form  of  stammering  usually  accompanies  a 
weakened  condition  of  the  whole  system,  and  may  be 
due  to  overgrowth  or  by  reason  of  an  insufficient  supply 
of  vital  force.  Such  persons  suffer  from  general  nervous 
debility,  nervous  trembling,  and  weakness  of  the  whole 
organism.  It  requires,  in  addition  to  the  regular  course 
of  treatment,  the  building  up  of  health  and  the  strength- 
ening of  the  constitution.  This  can  sometimes  be  ac- 
complished in  an  auxiliary  way  by  medical  aid,  but 
preferably  by  physical  and  gymnastic  exercises. 

INTERMITTENT  STAMMERING 

Intermittent  stammering  is  a  form  of  constitutional 
stammering,  where  the  severity  of  the  affliction  alternates 
in  direct  ratio  with  the  health  or  physical  condition  of 
the  afflicted.  For  instance,  these  persons  find,  when 
their  physical  condition  is  good,  that  they  experience 
but  little  difficulty,  but,  on  the  contrary,  when  their 
physical  condition  is  poor,  they  stammer  badly.  Some- 
times for  two  weeks  they  will  barely  stammer  once,  while 
during  the  following  fortnight  they  will  stammer  con- 
tinually and  oftentimes  dreadfully.  In  the  treatment  of 
intermittent  or  constitutional  stammering,  particular 
stress  should  be  laid  upon  diet  and  exercise.  It  has 
been  said  of  stammering  that  it  is  only  a  species  of 
moral  cowardice,  arising  from  physical  weakness.  This 
is  no  doubt  largely  true  in  cases  of  constitutional  stam- 
mering.    If  we  improve  the  physique  in  every  possible 

—  42  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

way,  we  restore  the  natural  bravery  of  the  sufferer. 
Let  him  retire  early  and  rise  early ;  take  plenty  of  exer- 
cise in  the  open  air  and  undergo  at  the  same  time  a 
systematic  course  of  gymnastic  training  indoors,  under 
the  direction  of  a  competent  instructor  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  weakened  muscles  and  organs.  This  aids 
largely  to  a  successful  treatment,  and  with  obedience  to 
instructions,  both  for  his  natural  defect  and  for  his 
health,  will  surely  accomplish  the  desired  object. 

NERVOUS    STAMMERING  AND   STUTTERING 

While  all  forms  of  stammering  and  stuttering  are 
accompanied  by  nervousness,  yet  in  the  majority  of 
cases  the  accompanying  nervousness  is  due  to  stammer- 
ing, and  not,  as  generally  supposed,  stammering  due  to 
nervousness.  Remove  the  stammering  and  the  nerv- 
ousness disappears.  However,  we  have  in  a  few  in- 
stances met  cases  where  the  nervousness  was  a  part  of 
the  man.  Professor  Klencke  says,  "This  kind  of  stam- 
mering is  the  hardest  to  cure  and  the  most  common." 
While  I  take  exception  to  Professor  Klencke  concern- 
ing its  being  the  most  common,  yet  I  cannot  say  but 
that  it  is  one  of  the  hardest  forms  with  which  we  have 
to  deal.  It  bears  a  resemblance  to  certain  forms  of  St. 
Vitus  dance,  and  is  influenced  by  changes  of  circum- 
stances, changes  of  weather,  is  worse  in  the  mornings 
than  in  the  afternoons,  and  is  accompanied  with  facial 
contortions,  active  mind,  irritable  temperament,  and 
lively  fancy  with  forebodings  of  failure.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  obstinacy  of  this  form  of  stammering,  we  have 
never  failed  in  our  efforts  to  overcome  it. 

—  43  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

STAMMERING  FROM   AN  IMPROPER  MODE 
OF    RESPIRATION 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  many  types  of  stammer- 
ing are  accompanied  by  an  improper  mode  of  respira- 
tion, yet  in  the  majority  of  instances  we  find  that  cases 
of  stuttering  are  more  often  associated  with  this  defect 
than  are  cases  of  stammering.  However,  stammerers 
of  this  class  are  quite  numerous.  Their  chest  is  usually 
flat;  a  deep  breath  will  cause  them  to  cough  or  gasp. 
They  are  averse  to  contact  with  strangers  and  are 
usually  moody  and  listless.  This  form  of  stammering 
yields  readily  to  treatment. 

STAMMERING  OF   THE  MIND 

Stammering  of  the  mind  appears  as  a  form  that 
takes  its  origin  where  hesitation  is  developing  into 
stammering,  and  where  it  is  difficult  for  the  sufferer  to 
control  his  speech  by  means  of  exercising  his  will  or 
reasoning  faculties.  Such  persons  are  oftentimes  termed 
flighty.  They  enter  into  any  undertaking  at  once  with 
spirited  enthusiasm,  and  abandon  it  as  readily.  They 
are  whimsical  and  erratically  engage  in  every  undertak- 
ing. Their  ideas  travel  faster  than  they  are  physically 
able  to  execute  their  thoughts,  which  not  only  enters 
into  their  everyday  life,  but  is  also  largely  mani- 
fest in  their  conversation.  They  begin  to  talk  and 
before  they  have  finished  one  word,  they  begin  the 
syllable  of  the  word  following.  Before  they  have  made 
sense  of  one  sentence,  they  begin  another  on  probably 

—  44  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

some  entirely  different  topic.  Their  words  are  discon- 
nected and  their  sentences  are  slurred.  When  they  are 
closely  observed  by  persons  of  superior  position  and 
rank,  they  become  confused  and  talk  in  a  disconnected 
and  illogical  manner.  With  the  strictest  discipline, 
their  difficulty  can  be  entirely  overcome. 

STAMMERING  THROUGH  NEGLECT 

There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt,  but  that  a  few  per- 
sons who  stammer  or  stutter  have  gradually  allowed  the 
difficulty  to  grow  upon  them.  They  do  not  realize  the 
importance  of  correct  articulation,  and  allow  themselves 
to  hesitate,  mispronounce,  and  slur  their  syllables.  Of 
course,  in  the  beginning  it  is  nothing  more  than  hesita- 
tion, but  what  when  they  have  lost  the  moral  mastery 
over  it,  and,  through  habit,  it  has  become  securely 
fastened  to  them,  not  to  be  shaken  off.  These  cases 
are  common,  and  are  worthy  of  attention.  As  difficulty 
of  this  kind  is  largely  of  the  acquired  or  habitual  char- 
acter, it  can,  with  proper  treatment,  be  entirely  eradi- 
cated. 

THE  SENSITIVE  STAMMERER 

All  stammerers  are  more  or  less  sensitive.  The 
majority  of  them  are  more,  and  I  have  known  a  few  who 
were  less.  As  a  stammerer,  I  was  extremely  sensitive 
over  my  infirmity  and  remember  once  having  severely 
punished  a  young  fellow  who  imitated  my  contortions. 
They  do  not  want  you  to  speak  of  their  affliction,  and 
must  be  approached  in  a  very  cautious  manner.     Of  all 

—  45  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

classes  of  afflicted  humanity,  I  think  the  stammerer  is 
the  most  sensitive.  Among  them  there  is  a  form  of  the 
difficulty  that  is  accompanied  with  an  extremely  sensitive 
temperament.  We  do  not  find  that  this  makes  the  case 
less  responsive  to  treatment,  as  the  stammering  disap- 
pears with  the  sensitiveness  when  the  patient  is  put  un- 
der treatment. 

NASAL  STAMMERING 

Just  at  this  point  I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  a 
form  of  this  difficulty  which  might  properly  be  termed 
nasal  stammering.  This  kind  of  stammering  is  not  by 
any  means  rare,  and  has  generally  been  considered  as 
not  the  easiest  type  to  cure.  The  sufferer,  instead  of 
allowing  his  words  to  pass  out  through  the  mouth  in  the 
natural  manner,  throws  his  head  back  and  forth  with 
convulsive  action.  There  is  a  peculiar  nasal  sound,  and 
the  air,  which  should  pass  through  the  mouth,  is  forced 
out  through  the  nostrils,  giving  the  words  an  unnatural 
and  rather  disagreeable  utterance.  All  forms  of  nasal 
stammering  can  be  readily  overcome  and  entirely 
eradicated. 

SILENT  STAMMERING 

Silent  stammering  is  common,  and  is  often  termed 
"  Stoppage  in  Speech."  There  is  no  facial  effort  or 
other  observable  indication  of  speaking.  The  effort  is 
wholly  a  mental  one, —  not  even  the  expression  of  the 
eye  or   a  muscle  of   the  face  indicating   the   struggle 

-46- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

within.  The  word,  when  it  does  come,  is  often  mis- 
pronounced or  pronounced  in  an  incoherent  manner. 
If  allowed  to  repeat  the  sentence,  the  speaker  will 
pronounce  his  words  perfectly,  but  usually  it  requires 
several  consecutive  trials.  When  you  ask  him  a  ques- 
tion suddenly,  if  embarrassed  he  will  stand  perfectly 
transfixed,  unable  to  utter  a  word.  This  form  or  type 
of  stammering  has  many  peculiar  and  interesting  phe- 
nomena in  connection  with  it,  and  often  enters  into 
various  other  combinations.  It  can  be  entirely  over- 
come with  proper  mental  training  in  addition  to  the 
general  course  of  treatment. 

BOISTEROUS  STAMMERING 

Contrasted  with  the  silent  stammerer,  we  have  the 
boisterous  stammerer.  This  man  tangles  up  his  words 
in  a  most  fearful  manner,  gasps  for  breath,  utters  various 
hissing  and  gurgling  sounds,  and  throws  himself  con- 
stantly back  and  forth,  or  from  side  to  side,  stammers 
often,  contorts  his  features  and  muscles,  and  otherwise 
makes  himself  generally  obnoxious.  While  this  form 
of  stammering  is  apparently  severe,  yet  it  oftentimes 
happens  that  it  is  very  easy  to  cure. 

CONTINUED    STAMMERING 

While  all  forms  and  types  of  stammering  are  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree  continued,  yet  there  is  a  distinct 
form  which  can  be  described  only  under  this  heading. 
The  continued  stammerer  is  an  inveterate  stammerer. 

—  47  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

He  always  stammers  and  stammers  always.  There  is  no 
change  in  his  manner  of  stammering  from  one  year's 
end  to  the  other,  or  even  from  one  day  to  the  next. 
Unlike  the  intermittent  stammerer,  he  never  experiences 
spells  when  he  talks  easily  and  when  he  talks  worse. 
Climatic  changes,  changes  of  health,  excitement  or 
embarrassment  do  not  enhance  the  severity  of  his  im- 
pediment. He  has  no  particular  words  or  sounds  that 
give  him  great  difficulty,  but  all  words  and  all  sounds 
bother  him  equally.  He  is  not  insensitive,  yet  he  is 
not  as  sensitive  as  persons  of  the  intermittent  class. 
Such  cases  of  stammering  are  rare,  and  I  have  met 
comparatively  few  of  them  in  my  experience.  How 
ever,  those  I  have  come  in  contact  with  have  been  en- 
tirely successful  in  overcoming  their  defect. 

THE  DESPONDENT  OR  SORROWFUL  STAMMERER 

All  stammerers  are  despondent  at  times,  and  the 
majority  of  them  are  sorrowful,  but  there  is  one  class 
among  them  always  despondent  and  always  sorrowful. 
They  appear  to  carry  around  with  them  the  burdens 
of  the  whole  world.  They  are  moody  and  whimsi- 
cal, their  spirits  rarely  rise  above  a  certain  level.  That 
level  is  the  point  where  sorrow  can  be  turned  into 
joy.  George  Eliot,  speaking  of  the  secret  sorrow,  says, 
"These  things  are  often  unknown  to  the  world,  for 
there  is  much  pain  that  is  quite  noiseless.  Many  an 
inherited  sorrow  that  has  marred  a  life  has  been 
breathed  into  no  human  ear."  They  are  not  always 
burdening  you  with  their  cares  and  troubles,  but  appear 

_48- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

to  prefer  to  suffer  in  silence.  They  talk  but  little, 
probably  because  they  are  unable  to  talk  well.  Occa- 
sionally you  will  come  upon  one  who,  unlike  the  others 
of  his  type,  will  continually  seek  to  tell  you  of  all  his 
cares.  He  rarely,  if  ever,  tells  you  anything  of  a 
cheerful  nature,  and  is  not  much  interested  in  anything 
cheerful  you  may  tell  him,  but  talk  to  him  of  any- 
thing sorrowful  and  he  is  at  once  interested.  It  reminds 
him  of  something  he  has  heard  before,  but  the  tale  he 
will  tell  you  will  be  the  more  sorrowful  of  the  two. 
Such  persons  usually  require  rigid  discipline,  and  should 
ever  be  encouraged  in  that  which  is  cheerful  and  never 
provoked. 

INCURABLE  FORMS  OF  STAMMERING 

Two  gentlemen  called  upon  me  less  than  a  month 
ago  with  a  young  man,  stating  that  they  wished  to  place 
him  under  treatment  for  stammering.  They  had  been 
referred  to  me  by  one  of  the  hospitals  of  Detroit.  After 
making  numerous  inquiries  of  the  father,  I  addressed 
my  conversation  to  the  boy.  I  asked  him  how  old  he 
was.  He  replied  that  he  didn't  know.  "Why,  yes,  you 
do,"  said  the  father,  "  you're  thirteen,"  and  the  boy 
shook  his  head.  I  inferred  that  the  boy  was  unable  to 
say  thirteen,  and  asked  him  again  to  tell  me  how  old  he 
was.  He  still  shook  his  head  and  refused  to  reply. 
Notwithstanding  the  requests  of  his  father  and  my  earn- 
est solicitations,  nothing  could  induce  the  fellow  to  say 
thirteen.  He  would  not  even  make  the  attempt.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  that  he  could  have  said  it  with  extreme 

4  —49  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

effort,  and  explained  to  him  that  I  wished  him  to  try,  in 
order  that  I  might  gain  a  better  knowledge  of  his  diffi- 
culty, but  to  no  effect.  The  young  man  was  unusually 
large  of  his  age,  and  might  have  been  taken  for  a  boy  of 
eighteen.  His  father  took  me  into  an  adjoining  room 
and  told  me  that  the  boy  had  a  large  pocket  knife  in  his 
possession,  and  that  if  I  could  get  him  interested  in 
talking  about  the  knife,  I  could  probably  gain  an  idea  of 
his  stammering.  Strange  to  say,  the  only  subject  the 
boy  would  talk  upon  was  the  knife,  and  it  was  indeed 
pitiful  to  listen  to  his  vain  efforts  at  talking.  He  stam- 
mered worse,  I  think,  than  any  person  I  had  previously 
come  in  contact  with,  and  the  contortion  of  his  face  was 
extremely  painful.-  I  asked  him  a  number  of  questions 
regarding  his  knife,  and  he  endeavored  to  explain  its 
utility  to  me.  It  had  a  number  of  blades  for  special 
purposes,  and  he  became  extremely  enthusiastic  over  its 
use.  I  tried  to  draw  him  out  on  other  topics,  but  he 
would  talk  of  nothing  else  but  his  knife.  I  had  not  the 
least  hesitation  in  pronouncing  his  case  an  incurable 
one.  Among  persons  who  stammer,  as  well  as  among 
persons  who  do  not  stammer,  we  find  people  who  have 
not  the  ordinary  amount  of  intelligence.  Such  persons, 
among  stammerers,  although  rare,  are  incurable. 

I  discharged  a  gentleman  from  my  treatment  once 
and  pronounced  his  case  an  incurable  one,  not  because 
he  had  an,  insufficient  amount  of  intellect,  but  wholly 
for  the  reason  of  disobedience.  He  was  a  man  of  be- 
tween 3  5  and  40  years  of  age,  and  one  of  the  most  severe 
cases  of  stammering  you  can  imagine.  During  the  first 
ten  days  of  his  treatment,  he  was  extremely  enthusiastic, 

—  50  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

but  inclined  to  be  unruly  and  hard  to  discipline,  which 
culminated  in  open  disobedience  to  my  instructions. 
He  would  rarely,  if  ever,  disobey  in  my  presence,  but 
upon  dismissal  from  the  school,  would  act  in  direct  dis- 
obedience to  my  wishes.  One  of  the  principles  we 
enforce  in  our  school  during  treatment  is  the  total  absti- 
nence from  the  use  of  tobacco  and  liquors.  While  I 
have  no  direct  knowledge  that  this  man  used  the  latter, 
still  I  do  know  that  he  smoked  constantly,  and  I  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  also  addicted  to  the 
liquor  habit.  We  rarely  come  across  a  pupil  who  will 
openly  disobey  our  instructions,  but  the  instance  I  have 
pointed  out  is  one  case  that  I  think  can  be  counted 
an  incurable  one.  Incurable  cases  of  stammering  are 
very  rare,  and  can  be  classed  almost  wholly  under  the 
two  headings,  Disobedience  and  Lack  of  Intelligence. 
Any  case  of  stammering,  no  matter  how  severe,  is  cur- 
able with  proper  treatment,  obedience  to  instructions, 
and  the  ordinary  amount  of  intellect  to  back  up  the 
exercises. 


51- 


CHILD  STAMMERING 


A  paper  read  before  the  Michigan  State  Association  of  Elocutionists  at  their 
annual  Convention  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  December  18,  1897. 

I  HAVE  known  of  very  few  child  stammerers.  In 
other  words,  the  great  majority  of  so-called  stammering 
children  are,  correctly  speaking,  stuttering  children. 

Stammering  takes  its  root  in  the  early  life  of  the 
child,  in  the  form  of  stuttering,  from  which  afterwards 
develops  a  mental  complication,  commonly  termed  stam- 
mering. There  is,  however,  sometimes  found  an  excep- 
tion to  this,  inasmuch  as  I  have  known  a  few  children 
who  apparently  had  all  the  symptoms  and  conditions  of 
stammering,  but  in  the  large  majority  of  cases  stammer- 
ing does  not  develop  until  stuttering  has  first  ravaged 
its  victim.  The  fact  that  stuttering  is  largely  manifest 
in  so-called  stammering  children,  and  stammering  more 
often  found  in  grown  persons,  is  no  evidence  but  that 
stuttering  may  also  be  found  in  grown  persons,  and 
stammering  found  in  children. 

The  child  stutterer  does  not  always  develop  into  a 
stammering  adult,  but  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  such  is 
the  case,  unless  something  is  done  in  early  life  to  pre- 
vent this  evolution  which  often  takes  place. 

—  52  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

I  have  spoken  of  stuttering  and  stammering,  and  in 
order  to  make  myself  more  clearly  understood,  I  will 
briefly  define  the  difference  between  these  two  terms. 
Webster  and  others  use  them  as  synonyms.  It  has 
been  found,  however,  that  while  one  bears  a  relation  to 
the  other,  there  is,  scientifically  and  technically  speak- 
ing, a  wide  difference  between  them.  Stuttering  is 
physical,  stammering  mental.  Stuttering  in  a  sense  is 
to  stammering  what  the  lamb  is  to  the  sheep,  the  gosling 
to  the  goose,  the  fawn  to  the  deer.  I  make  this  state- 
ment in  a  general  way,  as  there  are  some  cases  of  stam- 
mering to  which  this  comparison  will  not  apply.  In 
such  persons  of  hereditary  tendency  toward  stammer- 
ing, the  first  appearance  of  the  defect  is  in  form,  that  of 
stuttering,  which  usually  rapidly  develops  into  the  awful 
condition  of  the  stammerer.  The  original  defect  is 
planted  in  the  prenatal  life  of  the  child  and  there  lies 
slumbering  in  embryo  waiting  only  some  mental  agita- 
tion to  arouse  and  awaken  it.  The  torch  once  applied, 
the  mischief  is  done.  The  manifestations  at  first  are  in 
the  large  majority  of  cases  those  of  the  stutterer,  which 
at  this  age  could  be  easily  smothered,  but  as  the  child 
advances  in  years  its  defect  grows  upon  it.  The  men- 
tal agitation  increases  in  proportion  to  the  mental  prob- 
lems of  life,  which  are  daily  thrust  upon  it,  and  thus  in 
contrast,  as  the  rosebud  in  time  unfolds  to  view  the 
beauty  of  its  hidden  loveliness  there  develops  in  the 
mind  of  the  stammering  child  as  he  advances  in  years 
those  abnormal  conditions  which  lead  to  the  awful  tor- 
tures of  stammering.  We  know  of  many  cases  of  stam- 
mering, and  know  of  as  many  attributed  causes.     One 

—  53  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

says  his  stammering  originated  from  fright,  another  from 
sickness,  another  from  mimicry,  another  from  associa- 
tion, another  from  accident.  Nearly  every  stammerer 
attributes  his  stammering  to  different  causes,  and  yet  in 
the  large  majority  of  cases  they  can  all  be  attributed  to 
one  origin.  These  so-called  causes  are  merely  aggra- 
vations which  serve  to  awaken  that  which  already  ex- 
isted, but  which  was  dormant.  It  may  have  existed  as 
a  result  of  heredity,  or  it  may  have  taken  its  origin  from 
an  unknown  source.  At  all  events,  these  cases  of  stam- 
mering that  are  said  to  have  originated  from  fright, 
mimicry,  association,  sickness,  and  many  other  innumer- 
able causes,  are  but  the  external  manifestations  of  an 
abnormal  condition  of  the  mind  which  had  previously 
existed  unmanifested.  Anything  that  affects  or  agitates 
the  brain  of  one  favorably  disposed  to  the  development 
of  stammering,  is  likely  to  cause  stammering,  or  rather 
I  should  have  said  stuttering,  as  I  have  explained  that 
the  large  majority  of  so-called  stammerers  were  in  the 
beginning  nothing  more  or  less  than  stutterers.  Speak- 
ing of  the  child  stutterer,  he  is  not  by  any  means  diffi- 
cult to  cure,  but  the  child  stammerer  is  not  as  easily 
managed. 

I  have  spoken  of  stammering,  of  stuttering,  and  of 
combined  stammering  and  stuttering.  Stuttering  when 
found  in  grown  persons  is  generally  a  form  which  has 
been  acquired.  Had  it  been  of  hereditary  origin,  it  would 
no  doubt  have  developed  into  stammering  before  the  age 
of  manhood.  Stuttering  is  largely  physical,  and  not  by 
any  means  difficult  to  cure.  We  have  had  several  cases 
of  life-long  stutterers  who  have  been  entirely  cured  in 

—  54  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

less  than  two  weeks.  One  of  these  cases  has  stood  the 
test  of  three  years,  another  a  year  and  a  half.  Such 
rapid  cures,  however,  are  exceptional  among  cases  of 
stammering  which  have  usually  required  a  longer  period. 
The  difference  in  the  time  required  to  effect  a  cure  in 
cases  of  stammering  and  those  of  stuttering  is  accounted 
for  in  the  following  manner :  With  stuttering  we  have 
but  the  physical  to  deal  with,  while  with  stammering  we 
have  both  the  physical  and  mental.  Stuttering  is  largely 
due  to  a  wrong  manner  of  breathing  and  respiration,  and 
is  manifested  by  the  rapid  repetition  of  words  and  sylla- 
bles, oftentimes  accompanied  by  convulsive  action  of 
the  muscles.  Establish  a  correct  form  of  respiration, 
make  the  stutterer  talk  slowly  and  behave  himself,  and 
you  have  a  foundation  laid  upon  which  to  build  the  cure. 
Not  so,  however,  with  the  stammerer.  With  him  we 
have  added  to  an  abnormal  manner  of  breathing  and 
respiration  the  mental  phase  of  this  difficulty,  and  thus 
when  we  have  entirely  overcome  the  former  we  have 
left  the  latter  complication  to  deal  with.  Since  stutter- 
ing, which  is  not  by  any  means  difficult  to  cure,  is  more 
often  found  in  children,  and  stammering  more  often 
found  in  adults,  it  becomes  parents  to  arrest  the  stutter- 
ing habit  in  their  children  before  the  difficulty  develops 
into  stammering,  with  all  its  mental  complications. 

Age  has  but  little  to  do  with  the  chances  of  recovery 
in  any  case  of  stammering,  as  much  depends  upon  the 
application  of  the  pupil  to  the  duties  required  of  him 
and  his  aptitude  and  comprehension.  Entirely  satisfac- 
tory results  can  rarely  be  obtained  in  children  less  than 
ten  years  of  age.     However,  at  the  age  of  ten  and  after- 

—  55  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND    TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

wards,  if  the  child  is  intelligent,  every  vestige  of  its 
impediment  can  be  entirely  eradicated.  Children  are 
imitative,  and  thus  they  readily  pick  up  the  work  of  the 
classes.  Quintiiian  says,  "  Before  all,  let  the  nurses  speak 
properly/'  The  child  will  hear  them  first  and  will  shape 
his  word  by  imitating  them.  No  child  should  be  kept 
under  the  influence  of  a  stammering  parent.  We  find  in 
nearly  every  case  where  one  of  the  parents  stammer,  at 
least  one  or  more  of  the  children  are  similarly  afflicted. 
Sometimes  whole  families  stammer.  I  know  of  one  fam- 
ily, where  father  and  mother  stammer,  every  one  of  their 
children  stammer,  their  grandchildren  stammer,  and  one 
of  their  great-grandchildren  stammers.  If  possible, 
which  is  rarely  the  case,  the  child  of  the  stammering 
parent  should  be  adopted  into  another  family  where  it 
will  not  be  brought  into  association  with  the  habit  of 
stammering,  until  it  has  passed  its  fifteenth  year.  There 
is  then  but  little  danger,  as  but  a  small  percentage  of 
persons  commence  to  stammer  after  that  age.  We  might 
expect  the  child  of  stammering  parents,  who  is  brought 
daily  in  contact  with  this  awful  habit,  to  imitate  what  it 
sees.  Old  Roger  Ascham  says :  "  All  languages,  both 
learned  and  mother  tongue,  are  gotten  and  begotten 
solely  by  imitation,  for  as  ye  used  to  hear  so  ye  learn  to 
speak.  If  ye  hear  no  other,  ye  speak  not  yourself,  and 
whom  ye  only  hear  of  them  ye  only  learn."  Thus,  what 
can  we  expect  of  a  child,  predisposed  as  it  may  be  to 
the  development  of  stammering,  surrounded  with  every 
persuasive  stammering  influence  and  in  other  ways  sub- 
jected to  the  exposure  of  this  contagion.  We  can  only 
expect  that  it  will  stammer,  which  we  find  to  be  the 

-56- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

result  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten.  I  speak  of  it  as  a  con- 
tagion, from  the  fact  that  many  of  these  stammering 
children  would  never  have  stammered  but  for  having 
been  brought  into  contact  with  it  from  association  with 
their  parents  and  otherwise.  When  only  one  of  the 
parents  stammer,  their  children  oftentimes  escape  it. 
Where  both  parents  stammer,  the  doom  for  their  children 
is  inevitable.  I  have  known  of  several  such  unfortunate 
cases  and  the  results  have  always  been  the  same. 

Children  who  are  thought  to  be  disposed  to  the  de- 
velopment of  stammering  should  never  be  severely  pun- 
ished; they  should  never  be  subjected  to  fright  or 
danger.  They  should  be  kept  away  from  any  person 
so  afflicted  and  should  be  carefully  protected  from  all 
kinds  of  sickness  accompanied  with  fevers  such  as 
measles,  mumps,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  whooping 
cough,  etc.  Such  forms  of  sickness,  by  lowering  the 
vitality  of  the  child,  and  by  agitating  the  brain,  are 
likely  to  bring  to  the  surface  that  which  lies  slumbering 
in  a  dormant  condition. 

The  temperament  of  the  child  who  suffers  from 
either  stammering  or  stuttering  is  usually  an  active  one. 
I  wish  also  to  say  that  while  nervousness  is  sometimes 
associated  with  stammering,  during  the  child  life  of  the 
sufferer  there  is  but  little  nervousness  observable.  I 
do  not  believe  the  stammerer,  as  a  child,  is  more  nervous 
than  children  not  thus  afflicted.  It  is  probably  owing 
to  his  stammering  that  we  notice  his  nervous  condition. 
When  he  grows  to  boyhood,  and  becomes  sensitive  over 
his  infirmity  he  begins  to  show  signs  of  nervousness,  he 
feels  humiliated  over  his  stammering,  is  laughed  at  by 

—  57  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

other  boys,  is  pushed  aside  at  every  turn,  until  at  last, 
like  a  hunted  deer,  he  turns  upon  his  antagonists  and 
tries  to  defend  himself.  He  finds,  however,  that  he  is 
one  against  many,  and,  as  is  often  the  case,  withdraws 
himself  from  every  social  and  pleasurable  pastime.  As 
a  result  of  his  suffering  and  of  the  continued  strain  from 
making  an  exhibition  of  himself,  his  nerves  become  un- 
strung, he  continues  to  suffer  from  day  to  day,  from 
month  to  month,  from  year  to  year,  until  at  last  the 
equilibrium  of  control  is  overthrown  and  his  nervous- 
ness becomes  a  part  of  the  man.  Thus  it  is  that  all 
persons  who  stammer  are  nervous.  As  a  proof  of  this, 
we  find  that  when  a  stammerer  is  cured  his  nervousness 
rapidly  disappears.  The  fear  and  humiliation  of  stam- 
mering taken  from  his  mind  his  nerves  gradually  settle 
back  into  a  relaxed  condition. 

I  have  been  asked  what  I  would  do  providing  I  had 
a  child  who  was  favorably  disposed  to  the  development 
of  stammering.  This  question  is  rather  a  complex  one 
to  answer,  from  the  fact  that  what  I  would  do  other 
persons  might  not  feel  disposed  to  do.  In  the  first 
place,  a  child,  whether  disposed  to  the  development  of 
stammering  or  not,  should  be  kept  separate  and  apart 
from  every  other  person  so  afflicted.  If  the  parent  of 
the  child  stammers,  and  there  is  no  way  to  separate 
them,  all  further  advice  would  be  useless  and  worthless. 
A  stammering  child,  until  its  impediment  can  be  cor- 
rected, should  never  be  allowed  to  attend  public  school, 
nor  any  other  school  where  it  will  be  brought  into 
contact  with  other  children.  This  is  beneficial  alike  to 
the   stammering  child  and  also   to   its  associates  with 

-58- 


THE   ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

whom  it  comes  in  contact.  It  is  applicable  to  the 
stammering  child  from  the  fact  that  a  cross  teacher  and 
the  teasing  it  may  receive  from  the  other  children  will 
serve  only  to  aggravate  its  difficulty  and  confirm  the 
habit.  It  is  deleterious  to  any  child,  whether  disposed 
to  stammering  or  not,  to  be  constantly  associated  with 
stammering.  Those  of  you  who  have  a  knowledge  of 
child  life  know  that  any  child  hearing  another  stammer 
may  endeavor  to  imitate  it,  and  may  either  acquire  the 
habit  or  receive  a  vivid  mental  impression  of  what  it 
has  heard.  Children  are  great  imitators.  It  is  largely 
through  their  keen  imitative  faculties  and  imaginative 
mind  that  so  many  of  them  acquire  such  a  store  of 
knowledge  at  such  an  early  stage  of  life.  Do  not  allow 
your  child  to  imitate  or  mock  a  stammerer,  nor  should 
stammering  children  be  thrown  in  contact  with  other 
children  not  so  afflicted.  Never  laugh  at,  tease,  nor 
scold  a  child  because  it  stammers.  A  man  brought  a 
little  boy  to  me  some  time  ago  and  asked  my  opinion 
and  advice  regarding  its  impediment.  I  motioned  him 
into  the  parlor  and  requested  him  to  be  seated,  at  the 
same  time  giving  a  chair  to  the  little  boy.  The  child 
was  about  seven  years  of  age  and  a  bright,  apt  little 
fellow.  After  talking  with  the  father  for  some  minutes 
relative  to  the  boy's  stammering,  I  turned  and  asked  the 
boy  his  name.  Like  many  children  of  his  age,  the  boy 
acted  rather  timid  and  seemed  inclined  to  shrink  away 
from  my  question.  He  made  an  effort  to  speak,  but 
was  unable  to  do  so.  He  stuttered  and  stammered 
terribly.  "  Come,"  said  the  father,  "  spit  it  out  or  I  will 
make  you."     "No  you  won't,"  I  answered,  "the  boy 

—  59  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

has  more  sense  than  you  have."  I  motioned  the  boy 
toward  me.  Fearful  of  his  father's  look,  and  in  response 
to  my  kind  tone,  he  came  and  stood  between  my  knees. 
"Now,"  said  I  to  the  father,  "you  go  into  the  adjoin- 
ing room  and  leave  this  little  fellow  to  me,  and  I  will 
tell  you  when  I  have  talked  to  him  a  little  while  all 
about  his  stammering."  I  sat  the  little  fellow  on  my 
knee  and  told  him  of  all  the  sights  at  Belle  Isle,  of  the 
animals,  the  monkeys,  of  a  bicycle  ride  I  had  taken  the 
day  previous,  and  many  other  things  I  thought  would 
interest  him.  After  a  while  he  forgot  the  reprimand 
and  cross  words  of  his  father,  and  his  timid  counte- 
nance became  radiant  and  smiling.  He  told  me  his 
name,  where  he  lived,  how  old  he  was,  his  little  play- 
mate's name  at  home,  and  in  many  other  ways  enter- 
tained me.  During  this  time  he  stuttered  but  little. 
He  told  me  of  many  little  boyish  things,  and  in  a  pretty 
little  child-like  way.  I  stepped  to  the  sitting-room 
door  and  told  the  father  I  was  now  ready  for  him,  and 
when  he  put  in  an  appearance  the  countenance  of  the 
child  fell  and  he  once  more  became  timid  and  fright- 
ened. I  told  the  boy's  father  what  he  should  do  and 
severely  censured  him  for  his  actions  and  manner.  He 
took  my  advice  rather  reluctantly,  but  whether  he 
applied  it  or  not  I  do  not  know.  This  much,  however, 
I  do  know,  that  by  a  careful  hand,  a  kind  heart,  and 
words  of  advice  and  caution,  the  poor  little  stammering 
child  could  have  been  very  much  helped,  if  not  entirely 
cured.  The  best  friend  it  ever  had  in  the  world 
unfortunately  died,  and  thus  I  am  led  to  believe  the 
little  fellow  will  grow  up  and  endure  all  the  miseries 

—  60  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

and  tortures  of  stammering.  When  the  stammering 
child  is  too  young  to  be  sent  to  an  institution  for 
training,  you  can  do  much  for  it  by  treating  it  kindly. 
If  it  needs  a  whipping,  give  it  one,  if  you  believe  in 
whipping;  but  never  whip  it  for  stammering.  Do 
not  indulge  it  on  account  of  its  stammering,  nor  give 
it  to  understand  that  it  is  sympathized  with  in  its 
affliction.  Treat  it  firmly,  yet  kindly,  and  never 
grant  it  a  request  until  it  has  asked  for  its  want  in  a 
careful  manner.  Many  crippled,  blind,  and  otherwise 
afflicted  children  are  indulged  on  account  of  their  in- 
firmity. While  I  know  little  regarding  blind  persons 
or  cripples,  stammering  children  should  be  given  to 
understand  that  they  are  in  no  way  privileged  on  ac- 
count of  their  stammering.  Do  not  treat  their  stam- 
mering as  indifferent;  rather  give  them  to  understand 
that  when  they  stammer  they  are  breaking  one  of  the 
rules  of  etiquette.  It  is  equally  as  wrong  to  stammer 
as  not  to  remove  their  hat  in  the  parlor;  as  wrong  to 
stammer  as  to  go  to  the  table  with  soiled  hands  and  un- 
combed hair.  As  wrong  to  stammer  as  to  answer  "no" 
when  they  are  asked  to  do  an  errand.  In  fact,  teach 
them  that  to  stammer  is  wrong;  but  in  doing  so  be 
careful  to  advise  them  as  to  what  is  right.  Whenever 
you  correct  or  punish  a  child  for  a  misdemeanor,  tell  it 
of  its  error,  unless  it  otherwise  knows,  and  advise  it  of 
the  right.  Many  parents  are  indifferent  to  their  chil- 
dren, and  stammering  children  are  no  exception.  They 
whack  them  about,  give  them  just  so  many  whippings 
a  week,  whether  they  need  them  or  not,  send  them 
from  the  table  when  company  is  present,  and  otherwise 

—  61  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

neglect  them.  Whatever  you  do,  don't  belittle  a  child, 
especially  if  he  is  a  stammering  child.  On  the  contrary, 
make  him  your  equal,  your  associate,  and  by  proving 
your  interest  and  friendship  in  his  welfare  you  will 
make  him  your  lifelong  friend.  If  the  parents  of  stam- 
mering children  would  advise  their  children  in  a  kindly 
manner,  correct  them  when  they  make  an  error,  caution 
them  that  they  must  not  stammer,  and  in  many  other 
ways  treat  them  with  firmness  and  a  kindly  spirit,  there 
would  be  but  few  stammering  men  and  women  during 
the  next  generation. 


DIAGNOSIS  AND  TREATMENT 

OF 

OBSTINATE  CASES  OF  STAMMERING 


Few  persons  understand  how  to  correctly  diagnose 
a  case  of  stammering.  In  fact,  so  little  is  known  of  the 
disease  except  by  a  limited  few  who  have  made  the 
subject  their  life  study,  that  I  doubt  if  any  of  my  read- 
ers, physicians  and  teachers  included,  have  ever  at- 
tempted it.  Before  a  stammerer  determines  upon  a 
course  of  treatment,  whether  under  a  private  tutor  or  at 
an  institution,  he  should  first  take  pains  to  see  that  his 
case  has  been  carefully  studied  and  correctly  diagnosed. 
His  counselor  should  know  every  peculiarity  of  his  in- 
firmity before  the  first  step  is  taken  toward  radical 
treatment.  Otherwise  he  will  be  in  as  bad  a  condition, 
as  far  as  the  chances  for  his  recovery  are  concerned,  as 
the  man  who  would  submit  himself  to  a  critical  opera- 
tion for  a  hidden  tumor,  allowing  his  surgeon  to  cut 
and  hack  his  body  to  pieces  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  lo- 
cate the  seat  of  the  trouble.  Fortunately,  however 
contrary  to  the  general  rule  of  treating  stammering, 
the  skillful  surgeon,  before  making  an  incision  with  his 

-63- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

knife,  knows  well  what  he  is  about  to  do.     He  has  thor 
oughly  studied  his  patient's  trouble  and  has  made  a 
thorough  diagnosis  of  the  case. 

This  should  also  be  done  in  every  case  of  stammer- 
ing where  successful  treatment  is  contemplated.  There 
are  no  less  than  twenty  or  more  entirely  different  and 
distinct  types  of  stammering  and  stuttering,  and  there  is 
no  set  plan  or  code  of  rules  or  exercises  that  will  apply 
to  all  cases  alike.  Each  case,  while  treated  from  a  com- 
mon basis,  must  also  receive  individual  care  and  in- 
struction, according  to  the  indications  and  manifestations 
apparent.  Temperaments  are  not  all  alike  and  disposi- 
tions vary.  Thus,  a  treatment,  in  order  to  be  success- 
ful, must  not  only  aim  to  establish  a  fixed  rule,  but  will 
also  require  to  adapt  itself  to  each  and  every  varying 
case.  With  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  many  differ- 
ent types  and  forms  of  stammering  and  stuttering,  the 
reader  can,  without  much  trouble,  form  a  correct  idea 
in  any  case,  and  after  arriving  at  a  conclusion  as  to  the 
type  of  stammering  we  require  only  a  knowledge  of  the 
principles  and  rules  required  to  establish  a  cure. 

We  will  discuss  this  latter  at  the  conclusion,  and 
will  give  our  attention  now  to  establishing  a  knowledge 
leading  up  to  the  diagnosis  of  a  case. 

Let  the  reader  imagine  himself  with  me  in  the  capac- 
ity of  an  instructor  to  whom  Mr.  B presents  himself 

for  consultation  and  advice.  To  make  the  case  more 
interesting,  I  have  selected  as  a  subject  a  man  who  has 
called  upon  me  just  previous  to  this  writing,  and  I  want 
you,  reader,  to  come  with  me  into  the  consultation 
room,  where  we  will  make  our  investigation  and  form 

-64- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

our  conclusions  from  which  to  base  the  diagnosis  of  his 
case. 

First,  we  draw  our  subject  out  in  conversation. 
Second,  have  him  read  from  a  book  or  newspaper. 
Third,  ask  him  to  repeat  with  us  in  concert  the  words 
and  chief  obstacles  that  have  proved  themselves  difficult 
of  utterance  for  him.  We  ask  him  his  age,  study  the 
manner  of  action,  his  ease  or  uneasiness,  his  contor- 
tions, if  any ;  his  respiration,  his  sitting  or  standing  posi- 
tion, the  condition  of  his  health  by  the  appearance  of 
his  physique,  the  tone  of  the  voice,  the  articulation,  the 
chances  or  opportunity  for  physical  development,  the 
inclination  for  using  synonyms  or  for  substituting  easy 
words  for  difficult  ones,  and  thus,  by  observation  and 
by  putting  a  hundred  and  one  or  more  questions,  we 
learn  all  we  can  about  the  history  of  the  case. 

In  answer  to  my  questioning  he  tells  me  that  his 
mother  and  one  of  his  elder  brothers  stammer.  This,  of 
course,  would  naturally  indicate  a  case  of  hereditary  stam- 
mering, but  before  forming  a  conclusion  we  must  make 
a  further  investigation.  He  says  he  did  not  commence 
to  stammer  until  after  he  had  passed  his  tenth  year, 
and  states  that  he  is  now  thirty-two  years  of  age.  He 
has  a  child  (a  boy)  five  years  of  age,  who  stammers 
violently,  but  who  did  not  commence  to  stammer  until 
after  he  had  passed  his  fourth  year,  up  until  which  time 
he  had  talked  perfectly.  In  answer  to  further  inquiries 
as  to  the  probable  cause  of  his  stammering,  he  says 
that  neither  he  nor  his  parents  noticed  any  apparent 
difficulty  in  his  speech  until  after  he  had  mimiced  a 
stammerer  at  the  age  of  ten. 

5  -65- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

This  adds  a  new  phase  to  the  case.  The  indications 
point  to  heredity  on  one  hand,  and  to  mimicry  on  the 
other.  A  question  naturally  arises,  and  who  can  say 
whether  the  boy  would  have  ever  stammered  but  for 
his  sin  of  imitation  and  mockery? 

To  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  answer  to  the  problem, 
let  us  determine  whether  the  case  be  one  of  stammering 
or  stuttering,  which  conclusion  in  itself  will  point  to  the 
origin  or  cause. 

If  upon  further  investigation  we  find  it  to  be  a  case 
of  stammering,  we  must  conclude  that  its  origin  is 
due  to  heredity ;  if  a  case  of  stuttering,  there  is  a  chance 
that  it  may  be  resultant  from  mimicry. 

Stammering  takes  its  origin  in  a  different  way  from 
stuttering,  the  former  being  purely  mental,  while  the 
latter  is  generally  the  result  of  habit. 

A  condition  favorable  to  the  development  of  stam- 
mering can  be  inherited  and  transmitted  from  father  to 
son  and  from  one  generation  to  another,  and  while  this 
claim  is  also  made  for  stuttering,  the  writer  has  never 
known  of  such  a  case. 

Stammering  is  due  to  an  original  physical  weakness 
in  that  portion  of  the  brain  which  governs  and  presides 
over  the  faculty  of  speech,*  and  differs  from  stuttering 
in  this,  that  the  latter  is  due  entirely  to  wrongly  formed 
habits  of  respiration  and  an  incorrect  manner  of  vocali- 
zation. 

We  must  therefore,  conclude,  if  we  can  show  that 
our  subject's  defect  is  due  to  heredity,  it  is  a  common 


*See  footnote  on  page  27. 

—  66 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

case  of  hereditary  stammering,  while  on  the  other  hand,  if 
shown  that  his  trouble  is  due  to  mimicry  it  would  appear 
as  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  case  of  simple  stuttering. 

How  shall  we  proceed  to  determine  whether  it  be 
due  to  mimicry  or  heredity,  upon  which  decision  we 
shall  base  our  diagnosis? 

In  answer  to  further  inquiries,  he  states  that  he  can 
control  himself  to  a  degree  in  the  presence  of  strangers, 
but  that  he  stammers  badly  in  the  presence  of  his  inti- 
mate acquaintances  or  in  talking  to  the  other  members 
of  his  own  household.  This  is  an  evidence  of  stammer- 
ing. The  stammerer  can,  by  exercising  his  will  and 
summoning  up  moral  bravery,  control  himself  before 
strangers  to  a  remarkable  degree  ;  in  fact,  in  this  way  he 
is  oftentimes  wholly  able  to  conceal  his  impediment. 
Peculiar  as  it  may  seem,  he  is  apparently  unable,  how- 
ever, to  talk  well  in  the  presence  of  intimate  acquaint- 
ances. Klencke,  speaking  of  the  difference  in  manifesta- 
tions between  the  stammerer  and  stutterer,  remarks  that 
"  the  stammerer  usually  speaks  better  when  he  is 
observed  and  thus  forced  to  pay  attention  to  himself. 
The  stutterer  immediately  begins  to  stutter  violently 
when  he  is  observed." 

Before  further  investigating  the  case  before  us,  allow 
me  to  argue  an  explanation  for  the  above  remarkable 
circumstance  that  a  large  number  of  stammerers  can  talk 
better  to  strangers  than  to  their  intimate  acquaintances 
or  relatives.  When  talking  to  near  friends  or  to  intimate 
acquaintances  the  stammerer  has  nothing  to  conceal. 
They  know  he  stammers  and  there  is  therefore  but  little, 
if  any,  humiliation  in  committing  such  an  offense.    The 

-67- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

will  becomes  relaxed  and  with  it  a  relaxation  of  motive 
power,  followed,  as  is  natural  to  suppose,  by  spasmodic 
action  typical  of  the  stammerer.  When  talking  with 
strangers,  before  whom  the  stammerer  does  not  wish  to 
make  an  exhibition  of  his  infirmity,  there  is  constantly  a 
nervous  tension  of  the  mind,  an  effort  toward  the  gener- 
ation of  will  power,  and  a  consequent  increase  of  motive 
power.  Thus  follows  a  temporary  better  talking,  but 
when  relaxation  does  come  the  effect  is  generally  de- 
pressing. 

The  labored  effort  of  the  stutterer  when  attempting 
to  talk  before  strangers  is  scientifically  explained  from 
the  fact  that  the  increase  of  difficulty  under  such  condi- 
tions is  due  to  the  rapidity  of  his  thought  and  the  rapid 
succession  of  new  ideas  that  crowd  his  brain.  The  result 
can  be  compared  to  the  panic  that  ensues  at  a  fire  in  a 
theater  when  three  or  four  thousand  people  attempt  to 
crowd  their  passage  through  a  four-foot  door  in  their 
anxiety  to  get  out. 

Let  us  now  return  to  our  subject  who,  in  stating  that 
he  stammers  but  little  in  the  presence  of  strangers  and 
much  in  the  presence  of  intimate  friends,  has  wound 
about  himself  a  supporting  evidence  leading  up  to  a  case 
of  stammering.  I  have  asked  him  whether  he  can  read 
aloud  without  trouble  in  a  room  by  himself,  to  which  he 
answers  that  he  cannot  always  do  so.  This  can  be  taken 
as  a  further  evidence  of  stammering.  The  stutterer  can 
always  read  aloud  without  trouble,  providing  there  is  no 
other  person  in  the  room  and  he  is  unaware  of  the  pres- 
ence of  listeners.  An  explanation  for  this  is  also  em- 
bodied in  the  preceding  argument. 

—  68  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

His  replies  to  my  questions  regarding  his  stammer- 
ing show  considerable  contortion  of  the  facial  muscles, 
but  unaccompanied  by  spasmodic  action.  This  would 
appear  as  a  fourth  link  in  the  chain  pointing  to  a  case  of 
stammering.  The  facial  contortions  of  the  stammerer 
are  slowly  drawn,  in  which  respect  they  are  different  to 
the  facial  contortions  of  the  stutterer,  which  usually 
occur  with  spasmodic  actiom  The  stammerer  may  dis- 
tend his  mouth  like  a  funnel  and  keep  it  in  that  position, 
vainly  endeavoring  the  meanwhile  to  speak.  He  may 
drop  his  head  on  his  chest,  toss  it  back  or  sideways, 
or  his  features  may  distort  to  a  degree  almost  beyond 
recognition.  On  the  other  hand  he  may  widely  open 
his  mouth  in  attempting  vocal  utterance,  compress  and 
hold  the  lips  tightly  glued  together  in  his  efforts  to 
utter  closed  or  explosive  consonants,  but  with  all  this 
his  actions  are  in  contrast  with  those  of  the  stutterer, 
who  behaves  himself  in  a  more  boisterous  manner. 

In  answer  to  further  questioning  as  to  what  condi- 
tions cause  him  the  greatest  difficulty,  he  tells  us  that  it 
gives  him  the  greatest  difficulty  to  relate  a  story  or  tell 
of  an  incident.  He  was  present  at  the  Pullman  strike 
in  Chicago,  but  has  never  been  able  to  tell  what  he  saw 
there.  This  is  indicative  of  a  peculiar  mental  condi- 
tion found  only  in  the  stammerer.  The  mind,  in  reach- 
ing out  for  new  ideas  to  graphically  portray  in  words 
the  pictures  of  the  imagination,  is  drawn  away  from  the 
careful  vigilance  necessary  to  co-ordination  and  harmo- 
nious action  of  speech,  and  thus  in  this  way  the 
concentrated  effort  of  the  will  to  speak  properly  is 
weakened.     The  stammerer  who  is  able  with  care  and 

-69- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

watchfulness  to  control  his  speech  is  oftentimes  over- 
thrown when  this  vigilance  is  withdrawn.  We  must 
conclude,  therefore,  that  this  statement  on  the  part  of 
our  subject  but  strengthens  the  evidence  leading  up  to 
a  diagnosis  favorable  to  stammering. 

He  says  that  he  does  not  stammer  as  badly  in  argu- 
ment as  in  ordinary  conversation.  This  would  appear 
as  a  contradiction  to  my  previous  argument,  but  pecu- 
liar as  it  may  seem,  the  stammerer  is  generally  able  to 
argue  well,  especially  when  he  warms  up  to  his  subject. 
This  can  be  explained  from  the  fact  that  in  argument 
the  mind  dwells  upon  what  we  are  about  to  say,  rather 
than  upon  the  manner  in  which  we  are  to  say  it, 
and  thus  temporarily  our  thoughts  are  taken  away  from 
the  difficult  obstacles  that  usually  present  themselves. 
While  the  stammerer,  as  already  explained,  usually  has 
the  greatest  difficulty  when  he  relaxes  his  mind  from 
carefulness  of  speaking,  yet  in  argument  the  order  of 
things  in  this  respect  is  generally  reversed.  He  usually 
talks  better  in  argument  than  ordinarily.  It  is  when 
relaxed  and  indifferent  that  he  usually  has  the  greatest 
difficulty.  In  argument  the  mind  is  active.  There  is 
no  doubt,  also,  that  the  desire  to  win  acts  as  an  incentive 
or  generating  influence  to  motive  power,  and  thus 
affords  stimulus  of  mind  sufficient  for  the  proper  co- 
ordination of  all  the  functions  and  organs  concerned  in 
the  production  of  speech. 

It  would  appear,  therefore,  from  this  that  what 
would  at  first  seem  as  a  contradiction  to  former  argu- 
ments can  be  thus  scientifically  explained  and  adds 
another  link  to  this  interesting  chain  of  evidence. 

—  70  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Strange  as  it  may  appear  to  one  unacquainted  with 
stammering,  nearly  all  stammerers  have  their  pet  words 
which  prove  difficult  of  utterance  for  them.  One  stam- 
merer cannot  begin  the  letter  "t,"  while  another  who 
has  no  difficulty  with  words  commencing  with  "  t,"  can- 
not articulate  words  beginning  with  "  b." 

Nor  is  this  difficulty  in  a  single  case  confined  to  but 
one  letter  of  the  alphabet,  as  the  great  majority  of  suf- 
ferers find  equal  obstruction  in  the  utterance  of  different 
letters.  To  make  myself  clear  on  this  point,  I  wish  to 
explain  that  the  letter  of  itself  does  not  often  cause  the 
obstruction,  as  most  stammerers  can  articulate  any  let- 
ter of  the  alphabet  separately.  It  is  generally  when  the 
letter  in  question  forms  the  beginning  of  a  syllable  or 
word. 

However,  there  are  exceptions  to  this,  as  many  stam- 
merers are  utterly  unable  to  utter  the  vowels. 

These  obstructions  appear  to  arise  only  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  according  to  the  condition  of  the  health, 
the  state  of  the  nerves,  or  the  repose  of  the  mind.  There 
is  a  wide  difference  among  stammerers,  scarcely  two  per- 
sons being  afflicted  exactly  in  the  same  manner. 

You  have  heard  the  old  adage  that  every  sparrow  is 
a  bird,  yet  every  bird  is  not  a  sparrow. 

In  the  same  sense  stammering  is  stammering,  and 
while  all  cases  do  not  bear  the  same  outward  manifesta- 
tions, all  are  substantially  the  same,  the  difference  in 
cases  amounting  only  to  the  difference  in  temperaments 
or  in  the  severity  of  the  case. 

The  letters  or  combination  of  letters  upon  which  one 
stammers  has  something  to  do  with  determining  the 

—  71  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

type  of  stammering,  yet  no  definite  conclusion  can  be 
arrived  at  from  letters  alone. 

Our  subject  whose  case  we  have  been  examining 
tells  us  that  words  beginning  with  "  b,"  "t,"  and  "m" 
prove  the  greatest  obstacles,  while  words  commencing 
with  other  letters  prove  an  occasional  hindrance. 

However,  the  three  mentioned  are  his  greatest  ob- 
stacles, and  he  adds  that  always,  unless  very  careful,  he 
has  great  difficulty  in  articulating  them.  Notice  that  he 
says  "  unless  very  careful."  This  suggests  that  with 
carefulness  he  can  overcome  them,  and  would  appear  as 
an  indication  of  stammering,  as  we  have  shown  that  the 
stammerer  can  by  the  exercise  of  his  will  partly  or  wholly 
control  his  stammering, 

What  shall  we  say  of  his  difficult  letters? 

Stammering,  it  is  authoritively  stated,  is  manifested 
principally  in  the  articulating  organs,  which  temporarily 
become  glued  together.  Stuttering,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  manifested  principally  in  the  organs  of  respiration, 
without  the  articulating  organs  being  primarily  affected. 

The  former  is  due  to  a  deficiency  or  lack  of  exercise 
and  control  of  the  mental  energy  of  the  will  over  the 
organs  of  utterance,  while  the  latter  is  generally  due  to 
an  improper  manner  of  breathing  and  vocalization. 

Pronounce  any  word  beginning  with  "b,"  "t,"  or 
"m" — battle,  tattered,  master — and  we  find  that  it  can- 
not be  enunciated  without  the  action  of  the  articulating 
organs,  the  organs  between  the  larynx  and  the  lips. 

This  would  appear  as  an  indication  of  stammering, 
especially  when  we  note  his  answer  to  my  next  question. 
He  says  in  his  effort  to  speak  he  cannot  effect  a  begin- 

_72  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ning.  Sometimes  his  organs  of  speech  become  tightly 
glued  together,  at  other  times  there  is  heard  a  sound  of 
escaping  breath.  The  stutterer  can  usually  effect  a  be- 
ginning and  either  with  spasmodic  effort  or  otherwise 
rapidly  repeats  or  mixes  up  his  words. 

The  stammerer,  on  the  contrary,  is  usually  unable  to 
begin,  and  either  effects  a  beginning  with  labored  effort 
of  the  diaphragm  or  hisses  his  words  between  his  teeth. 
Often  his  organs  of  speech  become  glued  together  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  the  utterance  of  a  single 
sound.  The  stutterer  rarely  manifests  these  conditions, 
but  with  convulsive  action  or  spasmodic  effort  starts  his 
sentences  immediately.  He  may  make  several  attempts 
but  can  generally  effect  a  beginning.  Thus,  when  he 
says  that  his  organs  of  speech  become  tightly  glued  to- 
gether and  adds  that  at  other  times  he  makes  a  hissing 
sound  or  the  sound  of  escaping  breath,  I  take  it  as  a 
further  evidence  of  stammering.  Many  stammerers  first 
expel  all  the  air  from  their  lungs,  after  which  they  try 
to  talk  on  exhausted  breath.  This  habit  reminds  me  of 
the  musician  who  would  attempt  to  get  music  from  an 
organ  after  he  had  allowed  the  bellows  to  collapse. 

Nearly  all  stammerers  can  sing  without  any  apparent 
manifestation  of  an  impediment  in  their  speech.  This 
peculiarity  is  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  in  music 
there  is  rhythm  and  meter.  There  are  no  abrupt  begin- 
nings. All  words  are  commenced  in  an  even  drawn  man- 
ner which  appears  to  be  conducive  to  the  harmonious 
action  of  the  vocal  organs.  One  authority  says  the  stam- 
merer betrays  his  defect  in  singing  and  in  measured  talk- 
ing, but  from  experience  I  have  observed  that  there  are 

—  73  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

many  exceptions  as  only  a  small  percentage  of  stammer- 
ers have  trouble  in  singing.     However,  where  one  has 
difficulty  in  singing  the  same  as  in  speaking  it  may  be 
taken  as  a  positive  evidence  of  stammering.     In  my  ex- 
perience I  have  known  of  only  a  few  persons  to  stammer 
in  singing.     In  answer  to  further  questions  on  my  part 
our  subject  tells  us  that  he  frequently  meets  with  hin- 
drance in  his  singing,  which,  as  already  explained,  is 
evidence  of  a  case  of  stammering.     The  stutterer  never 
betrays  his  defect  in  singing.     He  informs  us,  however, 
that  he  can  speak  fluently  and  without  the  slightest  ap- 
parent hindrance  when  angry.     With  anger  comes  de- 
termination, with  determination  comes  will  effort,  and 
with  will  effort  comes  control.     As  explained  in  the  be- 
ginning of  this  article,  the  stammerer  can,  by  exercising 
his  will  or  determination,  partly  or  wholly  control  his 
speech.  This  explains  why  when  very  angry  many  stam- 
merers speak  fluently.     The  accumulated  nervous  force 
and  energy  under  such  circumstances  appears  sufficient 
to  enable  him  to  exercise  the  required  control.     The 
stutterer  when  angered  or  excited  is  thereby  rendered 
powerless  to  speak,  his  efforts  to  do  so  generally  result- 
ing in  spasmodic  and  convulsive  action.     There  are  ex- 
ceptions to  this,  as  we  occasionally  find  a  man  who  pre- 
sents all  the  manifestations  of  the  stammerer,  but  who 
when  angry  is  confused  in  speaking,  while  on  the  other 
hand  I  have  found  that  a  few  stutterers  were  able  to 
speak  quite  well  when  very  angry.     It  may  be  generally 
stated,  however,  that  it  temporarily  improves  the  stam- 
merer to  anger  him,  while  to  anger  the  stutterer  is  to 
make  him  worse.     It  is  after  the  anger  and  passion  have 

—  74  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

subsided,  when  the  reaction  sets  in,  that  the  stam- 
merer becomes  worse.  The  circumstance  that  the  sub- 
ject whom  we  have  been  examining  can  speak  well  when 
angry  may,-  therefore,  be  accepted  as  further  evidence  of 
stammering.  He  says  in  answer  to  further  questioning 
that  he  can  talk  better  to  persons  before  whom  he  does 
not  wish  to  exhibit  his  stammering,  but  that  he  is  often- 
times obliged  to  use  synonyms  and  substitute  words  to 
avoid  obstacles.  Here  we  have  another  trait  of  stam- 
mering.    One  of  our  correspondents  writes : 

"Many  years  ago  in  exhibiting  to  an  acquaintance  photo- 
graphs of  a  number  of  my  relatives  and  friends,  I  came  upon  the 
likeness  of  my  brother.  The  word  brother  was  invariably  a  stumb- 
ling block  for  me,  and  this  time  proved  no  exception.  I  did  not 
want  my  friend  to  know  that  I  stammered,  yet  how  was  1  to  conceal 
it.  I  endeavored  to  pass  the  photograph  by  without  explanation  in 
order  to  avoid  an  exhibition  of  my  stammering  and  contortion, 
which  at  such  times  was  most  pronounced  and  severe,  but  to  my 
embarrassment  I  was  promptly  asked  by  my  friend  whose  likeness 
it  was  I  had  endeavored  to  pass.  Stammerer-like,  my  mind 
reached  out  in  a  thousand  directions  for  a  synonym,  but  there  was 
no  other  word  that  I  could  use.  Trifling  as  the  incident  may  seem, 
I  shall  never  forget  it.  My  mind  became  almost  a  perfect  blank 
when,  quick  as  a  flash,  I  carefully  replied,  stammering  as  I  repeated 
the  words  :  '  That  is  a  picture  of  one  in  our  family  who  is  next 
older  than  I.'  It  is  unnecessary  to  explain  that  my  reply  provoked 
an  abundance  of  mirth,  at  the  same  time  I  avoided  temporarily  by 
my  tactics,  as  many  stammerers  do,  a  most  embarrassing  ordeal  of 
contortion  and  wasted  effort." 

Our  subject  says  further  that  he  does  not  lisp,  and 
that  his  articulation  is  perfect  when  he  does  not  stam- 
ps — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

mer.  He  is  of  a  nervous  temperament,  with  a  fairly  good 
physique,  cheerful  in  disposition,  subject,  however,  to 
spells  of  melancholy.  In  summing  up  the  evidence  we 
find  that  every  time  in  answer  to  questions  the  manifes- 
tations all  point  to  a  case  of  stammering.  It  is,  I  have 
no  doubt,  a  case  of  hereditary  stammering  which  might 
have  remained  dormant  and  never  would  have  manifested 
itself  but  for  his  having  imitated  a  fellow  sufferer.  The 
condition,  no  doubt,  was  predisposed,  and  required  but 
the  torch  of  imagination  to  awaken  it  and  develop  its 
dormant  qualities.  Thus,  while  it  may  be  said  on  the  one 
hand  that  his  stammering  was  due  to  mimicry,  it  was  on 
the  other  hand  primarily  due  to  heredity,  and  will  require 
the  same  treatment  and  care  as  a  case  of  hereditary 
stammering. 

Much  has  been  written  and  said  about  the  treatment 
of  stammering,  and  many  of  those  who  say  and  write 
often  know  less  when  they  have  finished  than  before 
they  began. 

I  receive  many  hundreds  of  letters  from  stammerers 
asking  about  treatment.  One  man  writes  and  asks 
whether  he  is  too  old  for  treatment.  Another  wishes  to 
know  whether  he  is  too  young ;  a  third  has  been  an  in- 
veterate tobacco  user  and  wishes  to  know  whether  this 
will  ruin  the  chances  for  a  cure ;  a  fourth  has  suffered 
from  ill  health  and  asks  whether  this  fact  will  bar  him 
out,  and  thus  I  might  go  on  and  tell  about  many  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  people  who  write  as  many  different  kinds 
of  letters  about  as  many  different  types  of  stammering. 

All  want  to  be  cured,  and  all  are  anxious  about  treat- 
ment.    The   first  question  that  naturally  arises  in  the 

-76- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

mind  of  the  stammerer  is,  "  Can  I  be  cured  and  by  what 
means?"  Every  stammerer  asks  himself  this  question, 
and  the  question  often  repeats  itself  to  him.  How  shall 
we  answer? 

It  is  true  that  until  within  the  past  five  or  ten  years 
but  little  advance  had  been  made  in  the  science  of  treat- 
ing stammering.  Many  attempts  were  made,  rewarded 
with  but  little  success  and  many  failures.  A  few  con- 
scientious men  worked  hard  in  the  interests  of  stam- 
merers and  stammering,  while  a  countless  number  of 
"quacks,"  "  professors,"  and  "charlatans"  were  ap- 
parently working  the  stammerer  and  bleeding  him  for 
all  and  more  than  he  was  worth.  This,  I  think,  has  in 
a  large  measure  had  a  tendency  to  make  the  stammerer 
skeptical,  even  at  this  advanced  era  of  success  in  treat- 
ing stammering,  as  the  older  generation  of  stammerers 
well  remember  the  rough  experience  through  which 
they  passed,  and  not  satisfied  with  allowing  these  things 
to  influence  them,  they  throw  this  skepticism  into  the 
minds  of  their  children  and  the  younger  generation, 
with  the  result  that  they  also  in  many  instances  regard 
a  cure  as  doubtful.  This,  to  me,  is  ridiculous.  In  my 
mind,  it  would  be  equally  as  fair  to  say  that  a  man  now- 
adays would  surely  die  from  appendicitis  because  his 
father  or  grandfather  died  from  appendicitis.  Every- 
body knows  that  the  chance  of  death  from  appendicitis 
(once  so  fatal)  has  been  lessened  to  a  remarkable  de- 
gree within  the  last  few  years,  owing  to  the  rapid  strides 
in  science  and  surgery. 

During  our  fathers'  and  grandfathers'  time  the  deaf 
mute  was  obliged  to  converse  entirely  by  signs  and  by 

—  77  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  use  of  his  fingers.  Since  then  large  institutions 
have  been  established  all  over  the  country,  where  these 
unfortunates  are  taught  to  converse  with  oral  expres- 
sion. Note,  also,  the  advance  in  the  use  of  medicine. 
Compare  the  old  methods  with  the  new. 

In  short,  comparisons  without  number  could  be 
drawn  to  show  the  remarkable  advance  of  science,  art, 
and  learning  in  every  imaginable  way. 

Old  fogyisms  and  old-time  ways  are  being  rapidly 
supplanted  by  modern  methods  in  almost  every  science, 
art,  trade,  and  profession,  and  thus  I  claim  that  it  is 
both  wrong  and  unjust  for  those  who  are  familiar  with 
the  unsuccessful  attempts  made  to  cure  stammering 
years  ago  to  allow  this  prejudice  to  influence  them 
either  in  the  matter  of  their  own  cure  or  a  cure  for  any 
other  unfortunate. 

That  stammering  has  been  cured,  can  be  cured,  and 
is  being  cured,  hundreds  of  living  monuments  to  success- 
ful treatment  bear  testimony.  It  is  true  that  there  are 
still,  and  no  doubt  ever  will  be,  that  class  of  charlatan 
quacks  who  never  do  what  they  profess  to  do,  but  we  find 
this  element  in  every  walk  of  life  and  in  every  profession. 
But  this  fact  should  not  prejudice  the  stammerer  against 
those  who  are  truly  endeavoring  to  benefit  him. 

Would  it  not  be  equally  as  fair  to  say  that  all  pro- 
fessing Christians  are  hypocrites  because  a  few  are  hypo- 
crites ?  Shall  we  condemn  the  many  for  the  errors  of  a 
few,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  shall  we  condemn  the  few  for 
the  errors  of  the  many? 

Shall  we  condemn  our  reputable  and  educated  physi- 
cians because  a  countless  number  of  ignorant  quacks, 

-78- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

divine  healers,  and  such  like,  overrun  the  country,  claim- 
ing to  do  what  they  cannot  do,  and  never  doing  what 
they  claim  to  do  ?  Shall  we  not  endeavor  to  encourage 
the  one  and  abolish  the  other? 

Shall  the  skilled  mechanic  be  condemned  because  a 
more  pretentious  fellow-laborer  is  a  botch?  Why  not 
then  apply  this  argument  to  reputable  institutions  for  the 
cure  of  stammering?  One  reason  I  have  dwelt  so  largely 
upon  this  prejudice  and  skepticism  which  is  apparent  in 
the  minds  of  most  stammerers  is  this,  that  I  believe  that 
in  order  for  a  patient  to  be  cured  of  stammering  he  should 
have  every  confidence  in  his  instructor,  and  himself  fully 
believe  in  a  successful  termination  to  his  efforts.  We  find 
this  also  in  the  sick  patient.  Doctors  will  tell  you  that 
in  serious  illness  the  chances  for  recovery  are  always  in 
favor  of  the  patient  who  believes  in  his  recovery.  When- 
ever a  patient  in  a  sick  room  gives  up  his  case  as  hope- 
lessly lost,  the  attending  physician  is  handicapped. 
Hope  is  everything,  but  belief  is  often  a  reality  in  itself. 
This  is  true  especially  in  the  treatment  of  stammering. 

That  which  may  be  considered  lost  may  oftentimes 
be  regained  by  confidence.  Confidence  in  the  instructor, 
confidence  in  the  instructions,  and  confidence  in  the  cure. 
Confidence  welded  with  hope  is  the  stammerer's  step- 
ping stone  to  success. 

I  have  many  times  been  asked  to  state  what  type  of 
stammering  I  consider  the  most  difficult  to  cure.  In  my 
opinion  all  forms  of  stammering  are  curable,  provided, 
of  course,  that  the  patient  is  well  disposed  for  treatment 
and  obeys  instructions.  This  disposition  for  treatment 
may  be  explained  as  an  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  patient 

—  79  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

for  treatment,  a  disposition  to  do  everything  he  is  told 
to  do  and  obedience  in  this  that  he  will  do  nothing  that 
he  is  told  not  to  do. 

Age  has  but  little  to  do  with  the  chances  for  recov- 
ery in  any  case  of  stammering.  When  a  child  has  passed 
its  tenth  year,  it  is  old  enough  to  intelligently  understand 
and  apply  all  of  the  exercises  necessary  in  affecting  a 
cure,  and  not  until  a  man  or  woman  commences  to  grow 
childish  from  old  age  is  that  most  coveted  prize,  a  cure, 
a  lost  possibility.  It  is  largely  true  with  stammering 
that  the  earlier  we  can  check  it  the  better,  yet  strange  as 
it  may  appear,  many  cases  of  long  standing  yield  to  treat- 
ment more  readily  than  those  of  more  recent  origin. 

The  type  of  stammering  in  itself  does  not  appar- 
ently appear  as  important  as  the  conditions  that  sur- 
round it.  By  this  I  mean  that  the  ordinary  case  of 
stammering,  otherwise  easy  to  cure,  might  prove  diffi- 
cult if  surrounded  by  unfavorable  conditions.  These 
conditions  are  varied  and  consist  of  the  health  of  the 
pupil,  his  temperament,  disposition,  and  habits ;  his  be- 
lief or  nonbelief  in  the  cure,  and  his  comprehension 
of  ideas  and  application  to  instruction  figure  also  as 
important  factors  in  determining  results. 

Much  depends  also  upon  the  course  or  plan  of 
treatment  pursued,  but  more  depends  upon  the  applica- 
tion of  that  treatment.  A  poor  system  of  treatment 
well  applied  will  invariably  give  better  results  than  a 
good  system  of  treatment  poorly  applied.  A  poor  sys- 
tem of  treatment  poorly  applied  will  give  absolutely  no 
results  at  all,  while  a  good  system  of  treatment  well 
applied   will    give    results    that   are   most  satisfactory. 

—  80  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Under  such  a  treatment  there  is  no  doubt  or  question 
but  that  the  worst  possible  cases  of  stammering  can  be 
entirely  and  permanently  cured.  I  have  spoken  of  the 
health  of  the  pupil  as  having  an  important  bearing  in 
determining  his  cure.  This  is  true,  yet  persons  in  ill 
health  should  not  be  frightened  and  imagine,  because 
their  health  is  poor,  the  chances  for  their  recovery  are 
small.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  the  ill  health  of  the 
stammerer  is  usually  consequent  from  nervous  exhaus- 
tion caused  by  the  continued  unsettled  condition  of  his 
nerves  and  consequent  drain  upon  his  vitality.  Nerv- 
ousness is  the  result  of  stammering,  not  the  cause,  and 
we  find  under  treatment  while  the  cure  is  being  fastened 
upon  dc  pupil  and  his  old  habit  of  stammering  shaken 
off,  the  nervous  force  and  energy  gradually  return, 
thereby  much  improving  the  general  health. 

Having  personally  known  of  a  number  of  such  in- 
stances, I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  many 
stammerers  who  are  constantly  suffering  from  poor 
health  caused  by  the  disturbed  and  unsettled  condition 
of  their  nerves,  would  grow  strong  and  robust  if  relieved 
from  this  distressing  impediment. 

While  I  have  said  the  health  of  the  pupil  has  an 
important  bearing  on  the  treatment,  these  ill  conditions 
caused  by  poor  health  are  entirely  overcome  by  the 
progress  of  the  pupil  under  treatment.  Any  good 
treatment  for  the  cure  of  stammering  will  have  as  a 
part  of  its  system  a  regular  course  of  training  for  the 
improvement  of  the  general  health  of  every  pupil. 

Classes  should  be  graded,  and  the  exercises  adapted 
to  the  wants  of  each  particular  case.     This  done,  and 

6  —  81  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  pupil  properly  instructed,  an  absolute  cure  will  re- 
sult, even  though  a  pupil  when  he  commences  treat- 
ment is  suffering  from  poor  health,  provided,  of  course, 
that  the  condition  of  his  health  is  not  such  as  to  wholly 
unfit  him  for  his  work,  that  the  treatment  is  rational 
and  modern,  and  the  pupil  obedient  in  the  fulfillment 
of  his  duties. 

I  have  said  that  the  disposition  of  the  pupil  enters 
into  treatment  as  an  important  factor  in  determining  the 
results  of  his  efforts  to  overcome  his  trouble.  I  have 
also  touched  upon  this  subject  and  denned  why  and  how 
a  pupil  for  treatment  should  be  favorably  disposed,  and 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  my  remarks  on  this  point 
have  been  made  perfectly  clear,  I  would  dwell  more 
largely  upon  it  now.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  any  person 
desirous  of  overcoming  the  lifelong  habit  of  stammering, 
should  while  under  treatment  cultivate  a  cheerful  dispo- 
sition and  entertain  at  all  times  a  kindly  feeling  toward 
all.  Having  touched  upon  the  question  of  the  health  and 
disposition  or  temperament  of  the  pupil,  let  us  now  dwell 
for  a  moment  on  the  habits  of  the  stammerer.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  many  stammerers  and  also  a  fair  percentage 
of  young  men  who  do  not  stammer  do  things  in  their 
early  youth,  the  results  of  which  oftentimes  cling  to  them 
during  the  whole  balance  of  their  life.  These  habits  are 
not  always  at  the  root  of  the  evil  of  stammering,  but  are 
certainly  conducive  to  it  and  should  be  stopped  at  once. 
The  use  of  tobacco  should  by  all  means  be  abandoned 
by  every  stammerer,  as  it  not  only  aggravates  the  evil, 
but  makes  the  case  less  responsive  to  treatment.  The 
use  of  liquor,  especially  whiskey,  wines,  or  beer,  should 

—  82  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

also  be  avoided,  nor  would  I  advise  the  use  of  coffee  or 
tea.  Anything  that  acts  as  a  stimulant  or  which  affects 
the  nerve  centers  should  be  carefully  put  aside. 

While  the  temperament  and  disposition  of  a  pupil 
under  treatment  for  stammering  has  some  bearing  in 
determining  results,  the  moral  aspect  of  matters  must 
not  be  lost  sight  of.  Pupils  should  allow  their  minds  to 
run  only  in  moral  channels  and  abstain  from  all  those 
things  which  corrupt  or  destroy.  When  a  stammerer 
decides  to  undergo  treatment  for  stammering  he  should 
at  the  same  time,  if  he  wishes  to  be  successful,  make  up 
his  mind  to  undergo,  as  far  as  possible,  a  change  in  his 
other  habits.  If  he  is  already  a  moral  man  this  of  course 
will  be  unnecessary.  Let  him  keep  his  mind  pure,  ab- 
stain from  excess  of  any  kind,  attend  properly  to  his 
habits  of  eating  and  sleeping  and  take  such  exercise  out 
of  doors  as  is  necessary  for  his  physical  well-being.  This 
is  especially  applicable  to  cases  of  intermittent  stammer- 
ing, where  the  severity  of  the  case  alternates  in  ratio 
with  the  physical  condition  of  the  sufferer. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  article,  I,  as  far  as  possible, 
told  my  reader  how  I  would  diagnose  a  case  of  stam- 
mering and  have  subsequently  dwelt  upon  conditions 
favorable  to  treatment.  This  I  have  done  in  a  general 
way  in  answer  to  many  inquiries  received  from  corre- 
spondents asking  me  to  tell  them  how  to  prepare  for  a 
course  of  treatment  in  order  that  they  might  complete 
their  cure  in  the  shortest  time  possible  consistent  with 
the  very  best  results.  In  continuing  I  wish  to  say  that 
the  success  of  any  enterprise  for  the  cure  of  stammering 
will  largely  depend  upon  the  permanency  of  its  cures. 

-83- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

The  cure  in  itself  is  not  by  any  means  difficult  to  effect. 
It  is  the  permanency  of  the  cure  that  bothers  many  per- 
sons, to  insure  which  their  every  effort  appears  to  be  of 
no  avail.  Their  failure  to  succeed  is  no  doubt  due  to 
their  lack  of  thoroughness  and  knowledge  and  their  in- 
attention to  the  little  details  that  go  to  make  the  cure 
complete.  Thus  it  is  I  have  held  out  a  few  suggestions 
which  should  receive  the  attention  of  every  would-be- 
successful  student.  There  has  been  much  sensationalism 
associated  with  some  treatments  for  the  cure  of  stammer- 
ing which  I  most  bitterly  oppose.  I  am  not  a  believer 
in  the  theory  that  Divine  Providence  is  in  partnership 
with  any  institution  or  person  interested  in  the  cure  of 
stammering.  Neither  do  I  believe  that  the  Almighty 
has  selected  out  any  one  particular  person  to  cure 
stammering  and  that  all  other  persons  are  unable  to  per- 
form such  "  miracles."  In  fact,  I  do  not  believe  that 
there  is  any  miracle-working  wonder  about  it.  Matters 
have  even  gone  so  far  that  an  eastern  institution  adver- 
tising to  cure  stammering  makes  an  open  claim  to 
support  from  God.  Who  can  wonder  that  all  this  sensa- 
tionalism and  hypocrisy  could  but  result  in  evil  instead 
of  good.  These  time-worn  ideas,  however,  are  rapidly 
dying  out  and  the  stammerer  already  warned  against 
them,  is  giving  ear  to  more  rational  theories. 

Speaking  further  with  reference  to  treatments  for  the 
cure  of  stammering,  I  could  name  many  of  the  earlier 
authorities  and  give  a  synopsis  of  their  theories,  which, 
however,  would  prove  of  no  practical  benefit  to  the  reader. 
Probably  the  earliest  cure  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge    is     Demosthenes.      According    to    Potter, 

-84- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Satyrus,  the  Grecian  actor,  is  said  by  Plutarch  to  have 
been  responsible  for  the  cure  of  Demosthenes,  who 
labored  under  a  weak  voice,  indistinct  speech,  and  short 
breath,  combined  with  violence  of  manner.  The  gen- 
erally received  notion  that  the  cure  of  the  great  Grecian 
orator  was  effected  by  speaking  with  pebbles  in  his 
mouth  is  not  borne  out  by  the  historical  account;  for 
both  Demetrius  and  Cicero  tell  us  that  Demosthenes 
spent  months  in  training  his  voice,  using  a  looking-glass 
during  his  vocal  exercises  and  applying  every  power  of 
his  will  to  the  conquering  of  his  speech  defect,  the 
pebbles  being  but  an  incidental  part  of  the  treatment. 

Celus  (A.  D.  1-37)  describes  various  means  of  cor- 
recting speech  defects.  ^Etius  (600)  also  blames  the 
tongue.  vEgineta  did  likewise.  Avicenna  ( 1 000),  an- 
other early  authority,  also  lays  the  fault   to  the  tongue. 

De  Chauliac  (1336),  a  celebrated  Italian  surgeon, 
ascribed  stuttering  to  convulsions,  ulcers,  or  other  affec- 
tions of  the  tongue,  to  paralysis,  or  to  moisture  of  the 
nerves  and  muscles.  His  treatment  consisted  of  embro- 
cations to  desicate  the  brain  cauteries  to  the  vertebrae, 
blisters,  frictions,  and  "  gargarisms  "  for  the  tongue. 

Mercurialis  (15-84),  professor  at  Padua,  Bologna,  and 
Pisa,  wrote  concerning  stuttering  in  his  work,  locating 
its  cause  in  the  brain  and  in  the  tongue  and  giving  it 
two  species,  according  as  it  was  produced  by  abnormal 
dryness  or  moisture  of  those  parts.  His  treatment  was 
similar  to  De  Chauliac's  with  the  addition  of  systematic 
exercise  of  the  voice  and  the  body. 

Canon  Kingsley  (i860),  a  celebrated  English  ora- 
tor and  writer,  chaplain  to   the  Queen,  was  himself  a 

-85- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

stutterer  until  he  was  nearly  forty  years  of  age,  and  has 
written  at  considerable  length  regarding  the  affection. 
Kingsley  made  many  mistakes  and  laid  down  many 
foolish  and  nonsensical  rules.  He  writes  that  the  cause 
of  stammering  in  three  cases  out  of  four  can  be  traced 
to  conscious  or  unconscious  imitation.  In  a  letter  to  a 
young  lady  he  tells  her  she  stammers  because  her 
upper  teeth,  like  his,  shut  over  the  lower  ones,  and  pre- 
scribes a  set  of  fixed  rules,  the  chief  of  which  relates  to 
opening  the  mouth  widely.  He  considered  boxing  an 
excellent  pastime  for  the  stammerer.  Had  he  been  a 
Frenchman,  Dr.  Potter  remarks,  he  would  have  said 
fencing  —  if  an  American,  base  ball.  Hunt  treated 
stammering  successfully  in  England  for  many  years 
and  wrote  a  comprehensive  treatise  on  the  subject 
which  Dr.  Potter  says  is  sufficiently  complex  to  cause 
a  mania  of  both  the  auditory  and  articulating  apparatus. 

Dr.  Klencke  conducted  an  institution  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  met  with  a  fair  degree  of  success.  In  his 
writings  he  has  advanced  a  number  of  different  theories 
regarding  the  nature  of  stammering,  his  ideas  of  the 
moral  nature  of  the  stammerer  being  disputed  by  many 
other  authorities.  His  patients  appeared  to  be  largely 
of  the  lower  class,  or  of  a  low  order,  but  his  opinion  is 
worthy  of  respect  from  the  fact  that  he  had  a  wide 
experience. 

There  was  one  rational  feature  in  connection  with 
Klencke's  method  which  I  heartily  endorse  and  recom- 
mend, that  is  his  endeavors  to  arouse  the  will  of  his  pupil 
and  keep  it  in  constant  action.  He  also  drilled  his  pa- 
tients systematically  in  the  technics  of  speech.     Much 

—  86  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

might  be  added  of  the  different  methods  of  treatment  and 
theories  of  early  writers,  but  all  are  vague  and  in  a  sense 
impractical.  The  earlier  methods  of  surgery  and  super- 
stition have  practically  died  out  and  thus  it  remains  for 
later  authorities  to  advance  and  carry  out  more  sensible 
methods  of  treatment. 

After  years  of  careful  study  and  investigation  I  am 
convinced  now  more  than  ever  that  only  such  methods  as 
are  educational  in  character  and  graded  to  suit  the  re- 
quirements of  special  cases  can  prove  efficient.  Tricks 
and  secrets  are  old-time  fogyisms.  Surgery  is  no  longer 
employed  anywhere.  There  is  no  longer  room  for  the 
charlatan  or  quack.  New  ideas,  business  methods,  and 
modern  facilities  for  treatment  have  at  last  proved  true 
the  old  saying: 

"You  can  fool  some  people  all  the  time ;  you  can  fool 
all  the  people  some  of  the  time ;  but  you  cannot  fool  all 
the  people  all  the  time." 


-87. 


HELPFUL  HINTS  AND  EXERCISES 


BREATHING,  SLEEP,  MORALITY,  DIET, 

And  Their  Relation  to  a  Possible  Cure  for 
Stammering 


BREATHING 

There  are  many  stammerers  who  do  not  appear  to 
understand  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  practicing  a 
correct  form  of  breathing.  A  correct  form  of  breathing 
cannot  in  itself,  without  other  principles,  establish  a 
cure  for  stammering  any  more  than  a  pile  of  bricks  can 
in  itself  form  a  building  without  mortar  or  masonry. 
It  may,  however,  serve  as  an  auxiliary  and  when  com- 
bined with  other  exercises  it  oftentimes  forms  a  basis 
upon  which  a  cure  may  be  built.  One  thing  is  certain. 
We  cannot  produce  voice  without  producing  breath. 
If  then  we  have  an  incorrect  manner  of  producing  our 
breath,  what  shall  we  say  of  our  syllables,  of  our  words, 
and  of  our  sentences?  Shall  we  not  go  back  to  the 
prime  disturbance  and  by  the  pursuance  of  a  system  of 

—  88  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

exercises  directly  opposed  to  our  wrongly  formed  hab- 
its endeavor  to  correct  the  evil  and  begin  anew? 

Although  the  origin  of  all  this  disturbance  with  the 
stammerer  can  in  no  way  be  attributed  to  his  abnormal 
respiration,*  which  is  rather  a  result  than  a  cause,  yet 
we  should  aim,  if  possible,  to  correct  the  habit  and  sub- 
stitute for  it  a  correct  manner  of  respiration.  If  we  can 
succeed  in  doing  this  the  chances  for  the  permanency 
of  the  cure  are  largely  added  to,  and  we  can  also  count 
on  more  rapid  progress  from  the  beginning. 

There  are  many  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  pur- 
suance of  good  breathing  exercises.  Even  for  those  not 
afflicted  with  stammering,  but  for  the  stammerer,  espe- 
cially, they  are  particularly  beneficial.  Let  us  for  a 
moment  discuss  the  relation  of  breathing  exercises  to  a 
possible  cure  for  stammering.  Can  we  by  a  pursuance 
of  breathing  exercises  in  any  possible  way  influence  or 
strengthen  that  which  directs  and  controls  all  move- 
ments of  the  body — the  brain?  When  we  wish  to 
strengthen  any  function  or  muscle  of  the  body  we  exer- 
cise it.  This  granted,  can  we  not  by  exercising  that 
portion  of  the  brain  wherein  the  stammerer  is  deficient, 
improve  and  strengthen  it  to  a  degree  sufficient  to  give 
the  will  absolute  control  over  the  organs  of  respiration  ? 
For  illustration  or  example  suppose  we  wish  to  execute 
costal  breathing.  In  costal  breathing  we  direct  the 
effort  of  the  mind  to  the  muscles  of  the  sides  and  by 
forcing  the  same  to  obey  the  dictates  of  the  will  we 
force  them  out  and  allow  them  to  again  contract,  al- 


*  Stammering  originates  in  the  brain,  see  footnote  page  27. 

-89- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ways,  of  course,  aiding  this  performance  by  means  of 
the  pressure  of  the  air  within  which  we  have  in  the 
meantime  inhaled  for  this  purpose.  We  repeat  this  ex- 
ercise again  and  again  and  in  so  doing  not  only  exercise 
the  costal  muscles  of  the  body,  but  at  the  same  time 
are  also  educating  the  mind  to  control  muscle  action. 
We  proceed  to  other  forms  of  breathing  and  find  in 
dorsal  breathing  the  will  commands  the  muscles  of  the 
back,  in  chest  breathing  the  muscles  of  the  chest  re- 
spond to  the  dictates  of  the  mind.  In  diaphragmatic 
breathing  we  find  the  diaphragmatic  muscle  obeys,  and 
hence  while  the  muscles  of  respiration  are  being  exer- 
cised, that  which  gives  the  command  is  also  being  ex- 
ercised. In  stammering  we  find  as  a  result  of  certain 
existing  circumstances  the  muscles  of  respiration  refuse 
to  obey  the  dictates  of  the  mind.  The  will  is  insuffi- 
cient; the  harmony  and  co-ordination  of  the  functions 
and  organs  concerned  in  speech-production  is  disturbed 
and  we  falter  or  stumble,  but  if  we  educate  the  mind  to 
control  these  muscles  we  find  always  a  ready  response 
to  our  desires.  This  is  the  relation  of  breathing  exer- 
cises to  a  possible  cure  for  stammering. 

Another  incalculable  benefit  to  be  derived  from  a  good 
system  of  breathing  exercises  is  the  development  it  gives 
to  the  whole  body.  But  you  say,  What  benefit  can  that 
afford  me  ?  What  bearing  has  that  upon  a  possible  cure 
for  my  stammering?  Would  you  believe  it  that  nearly 
everything  you  do  has  either  a  beneficial  or  deleterious 
effect  upon  your  talking  ?  One  stammerer  says  :  I  stam- 
mer worse  when  I  am  suffering  from  indigestion.  An- 
other argues  that  he  suffers  worse  from  the  loss  of  sleep. 

—  90  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Another  claims  that  his  greatest  difficulty  comes  from 
cold  in  the  head.  Another  has  spasms  when  brought 
into  contact  with  strangers ;  another  grows  worse  from 
the  use  of  tobacco,  and  thus  I  could  tell  you  of  a  thou- 
sand and  one  or  more  persons,  all  of  whom  suffer  worse 
from  this,  that,  or  the  other  thing.  They  do  not  seem  to 
attribute  it  all  to  one  parent  cause. 

When  you  observe  a  result  you  may  always  rest  as- 
sured there  is  a  cause,  and  in  this  cause  (the  disturbance 
of  the  nerve  centers  of  the  body)  lies  the  great  unhid- 
den law  that  rules  supreme.  Anything  that  upsets  the 
equilibrium  of  control  should  be  carefully  guarded  against. 
He  who  stammers  worse  when  suffering  from  indigestion 
must  learn  that  the  whole  nervous  system  of  the  body  is 
affected  by  a  deranged  condition  of  the  stomach  and 
that  his  excessive  difficulty  in  speaking  under  such  cir- 
cumstances is  but  natural,  because  that  which  affects  the 
nerves  affects  also  the  fluency  of  his  speech. 

He  who  overindulges  himself  in  natural  or  unnatural 
excitement  must  pay  the  penalty  in  his  talking — be- 
cause just  as  sure  as  the  night  follows  the  day,  so  also 
does  stammering  follow  a  disturbance  or  agitation  of  the 
nerve  centers.  He  who  stammers  worse  when  suffering 
from  the  effects  of  a  cold  must  also  learn  that  he  is  suf- 
fering from  a  disturbance  of  the  nerves.  This  has  been 
not  only  my  personal  experience,  but  is  largely  based 
upon  my  observation  in  hundreds  of  other  cases. 

The  same  law  that  metes  out  suffering  to  the  stam- 
merer who  would  disobey  its  rulings  also  crowns  with 
laurels  of  success  him  who  will  build  up  and  strengthen 
his  body.     Thus,  if  it  can  be  shown  that  breathing  exer- 

—  91  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

cises  are  beneficial  for  this  purpose,  it  stands  us  well  in 
hand  to  add  them  to  our  curriculum  of  studies.  Another 
beneficial  result  of  the  breathing  exercise  for  the  stam- 
merer is  the  additional  capacity  it  gives  him  for  the  re- 
tention of  breath.  Breathing  exercises  also  give  an 
upright  carriage  to  the  body,  develop  the  chest,  and  keep 
the  blood  in  active  circulation.  In  short,  they  are  bene- 
ficial to  the  whole  organism,  and  while  they  cannot  of 
themselves  effect  a  cure  for  stammering,  they  neverthe- 
less serve  as  an  auxiliary  and  aid  us  in  our  work. 

SLEEP 

The  New  Year's,  1898,  number  of  the  Youth's  Com- 
panion, in  an  article  entitled  "Gladstone  at  Eighty- 
eight/'  attributes  the  wonderful  enduring  faculties  of  this 
well-known  statesman  to  his  capacity  for  sleep  and  short 
naps.  During  his  whole  life  it  is  said  that  he  methodic- 
ally found  time  for  rest  as  well  as  work,  and  thus,  unlike 
the  majority  of  Americans  of  the  same  age,  Gladstone 
at  that  time  was  well  preserved  and  in  possession  of  all 
his  faculties. 

Sleep  is  curative.  Sleep  is  restful.  Every  stammer- 
ing man,  woman,  and  child  should  observe  methodical 
and  regular  hours  for  sleep.  In  cases  of  intermittent 
stammering,  where  the  severity  of  the  affliction  alternates 
in  ratio  with  the  physical  condition  of  the  sufferer,  sleep, 
above  all  things,  should  be  earnestly  courted.  Rest  is 
oftentimes  as  beneficial  as  sleep.  A  half  hour's  rest  or 
sleep  before  dinner  will  serve  to  strengthen  the  nerves 
and  refresh  the  body  as  nothing  else  can.     Every  person 

—  92  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

who  suffers  from  stammering  should  sleep  from  eight  to 
ten  hours  in  every  twenty-four.  Do  not  oversleep,  but 
sleep  sufficiently.  Too  much  sleep  is  as  harmful  as  too 
little  sleep.  A  good  plan  to  pursue,  if  possible,  is  to  sleep 
whenever  you  feel  sleepy,  except  after  eating  heartily. 
Never  sleep  on  a  full  stomach.  You  can  neither  sleep 
well  nor  will  your  food  digest  well.  Always  rest  for  a 
time  after  eating,  but  avoid  sleep  until  your  food  is  well 
under  the  process  of  digestion. 

Dr.  Felix  L.  Oswald,  in  an  article  entitled,  "The 
Curative  Power  of  Sleep,"  written  for  health  culture, 
New  York,  says : 

"  Brain-work  succeeds  best  while  the  activity  of  the 
animal  organism  is  reduced  to  an  indispensable  mini- 
mum. The  mind  is  never  clearer  than  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  the  work  of  digestion  is  finished ;  and  for 
similar  reasons  digestion  proceeds  most  prosperously 
v/hile  the  brain  is  at  rest.  A  correspondent  of  mine,  who 
is  subject  to  attacks  of  spasmodic  asthma,  often  passes  a 
whole  afternoon  on  suburban  trolley  cars,  knowing  from 
experience  that  the  rocking  motion  and  the  sight  of 
monotonous  streets  are  apt  to  result  in  cat-naps,  and  that 
the  shortest  nap  of  that  sort  is  sufficient  to  break  the 
spell  of  the  dyspnoea — the  distressing  difficulty  to  draw 
a  full  breath  of  life-air. 

A  mere  cat-nap  is  also  sufficient  to  relieve  sick  head- 
ache, dizziness,  spasms  of  colic,  and  neuralgia ;  and  pro- 
tracted slumber  —  five  or  six  hours  of  dreamless  sleep 
— has  saved  more  than  one  life  that  could  not  have  been 
as  much  as  respited  by  all  the  drugs  mentioned  in  Bar- 
tholomew's   "  Handbook   of   Therapeutics."      Chronic 

—  93  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

diarrhea  has  been  known  to  yield  to  that  specific,  and 
in  many  kinds  of  fevers,  too,  everything  is  gained  if  the 
patient  can  be  helped  to  a  few  hours  of  deep  slumber 
without  the  use  of  narcotics.  Monotonous  work,  pur- 
posely continued  to  the  verge  of  fatigue,  may  help  to 
relieve  insomnia,  and  in  obstinate  cases  the  application 
of  warm  winding  sheets  to  the  feet  and  of  cool  cataplasms 
to  the  head  will  promote  the  same  purpose  by  alleviat- 
ing the  engorgement  of  the  cerebral  blood-vessels. 

Opiates  only  mock  the  patient  with  the  appearance 
of  relief,  and,  like  brandy  in  the  r6le  of  a  dyspepsia  cure, 
frequently  result  in  an  aggravation  of  the  trouble.  Lau- 
danum paralyzes  the  digestive  organs,  and  not  only  fails 
to  reproduce  the  conditions  of  natural  slumber,  but  goads 
the  brain  into  fever-dreams,  more  permanently  injurious 
than  sleeplessness. 

Anne  Payson  Call,  in  ''Power  Through  Repose," 
speaking  of  "  Rest  and  Sleep,"  says:  " Realizing  fully 
that  sleep  is  meant  for  rest,  that  the  only  gain  is  rest, 
and  that  new  power  for  use  comes  in  consequence  — 
how  absurd  it  seems  that  we  do  not  abandon  ourselves 
completely  to  gaining  all  that  nature  would  give  us 
through  sleep." 

Sleep  is  quieting  to  the  nerves,  soothing  to  the  brain, 
and  nourishing  to  the  body.  Undeniable  as  this  is,  can- 
not the  reader  easily  understand  that  sleep  is  helpful  to 
the  stammerer.  The  stammerer,  generally  speaking,  is 
nervous,  and  owing  to  his  continued  fear  of  stammering 
becomes  mentally  fatigued.  His  thoughts  course  rap- 
idly through  his  brain,  even  faster  than  he  can  phys- 
ically produce  them.     Motive  power,  when  generated, 

—  94  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

is  oftentimes  misdirected,  and  in  consequence  he  ages 
quickly. 

Canon  Kingsley  has  said:  "The  stammerer's  life 
is  full  of  misery,  and  necessarily  a  short  one  by  reason 
of  the  mental  depression  and  misdirection  of  vital  energy 
which  is  induced  thereby." 

Sleep  cannot,  by  any  means,  effect  a  cure  in  any 
case  of  stammering.  The  point  I  wish  to  emphasize  is 
this :  that  loss  of  sleep  and  irregular  hours  will  aggra- 
vate and  make  worse  any  case  of  stammering. 

I  wish  to  add,  also,  that  plenty  of  sleep,  with  regu- 
lar hours,  will,  by  quieting  the  nerves  and  resting  the 
brain  and  body,  make  possible  for  successful  treatment 
cases  of  stammering  that  might  otherwise  prove  diffi- 
cult to  cure. 

MORALITY 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  morality  obtains  a  wide 
influence  for  good  in  the  treatment  and  cure  of  stammer- 
ing. We  have  heard  much  about  the  physical  treatment 
of  stammering,  and  yet,  important  as  it  is,  there  has  been 
but  little  written  about  the  moral  treatment  of  this  awful 
affliction.  I  do  not  assume  that  morality  and  purity  in 
living  can  in  any  case  effect  a  cure  for  stammering.  My 
claim  is  that  it  makes  favorable  for  successful  treatment 
a  condition  which  would  otherwise  prove  unfavorable. 
Fortunately  I  have  known  of  very  few  stammerers  im- 
morally inclined.  On  the  contrary  the  affliction  appears 
to  exert  a  restraining  influence  over  its  victim,  and  in  the 
same  manner  that  it  deprives  him  socially  from  the  en- 

—  95  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

joyment  of  the  pleasures  of  life  it  also  holds  him  in  check 
from  falling  into  the  pitfalls  of  ruin.  There  are  without 
doubt  exceptions  to  this,  since  I  have  known  of  one  or 
two  stammerers  who  were  decidedly  immoral  characters. 
My  experience,  however,  from  contact  with  large  num- 
bers of  persons  afflicted  with  stammering,  bears  me  out 
in  reaffirming  that  the  large  majority  of  stammerers  are 
of  the  moral  type.  There  is  good  and  bad  in  everything 
and  everywhere,  and  oftentimes  the  latter  element  pre- 
dominates, but  fortunate  as  is  the  case  among  stammerers 
the  majority  of  them  are,  if  not  strictly  moral,  morally 
inclined.  This  fact  is  largely  in  favor  of  the  stammerer 
so  far  as  the  possibility  of  a  cure  is  concerned,  because  if 
the  order  of  things  in  this  respect  were  reversed  it  would 
in  a  measure  lessen  the  chances  for  recovery.  The  mor- 
ally inclined  stammerer  is  generally  more  susceptible  to 
treatment  than  the  stammerer  who  is  not  morally  inclined. 
With  a  mind  full  of  corrupt  thoughts,  a  mouth  full  of  evil 
sayings,  and  a  body  full  of  languor  or  disease,  we  have 
many  obstacles  to  surmount  before  entirely  satisfactory 
results  can  be  accomplished.  On  the  other  hand,  a  mind 
filled  with  goodness  and  virtue,  a  clear  conscience,  and  a 
healthy  body  make  successful  treatment  both  probable 
and  possible.  The  stammerer  who  would  make  for  him- 
self a  condition  most  favorable  for  an  absolute  cure  of  his 
affliction  should  at  once  set  about  to  live  a  life  of  chastity 
and  purity.  Let  him  engage  his  mind  with  wholesome 
literature,  his  body  with  healthful  exercise,  and  let  him 
choose  his  companions  with  as  much  care  as  he  would 
choose  a  life  partner.  Companionship  has  more  to  do 
with  moral  living  than  we  would  suppose.     Every  im- 

-96- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

pression  received  is  one  either  for  good  or  evil,  and  thus 
one  evil  companion  will  readily  overthrow  the  very  thing 
you  are  trying  to  establish,  while  a  companion  of  good 
morals  will  strengthen  resolutions  and  build  up  character. 
To  prepare  yourself  for  the  most  favorable  results  for 
treatment  cleanse  your  mind  of  every  impure  thought  and 
keep  it  constantly  cleansed  and  pure.  Avoid  obscene 
language,  burlesque  or  other  objectionable  plays  or  thea- 
ters, the  use  of  tobacco  in  every  form ;  also  avoid  the  use 
of  liquor,  tea,  coffee,  and  above  all  the  poisonous  ciga- 
rette. Avoid  also  all  kinds  of  vice  and  the  indulgence  in 
any  pleasure  that  exhausts  the  vitality.  Take  plenty  of 
physical  exercise,  eat  wholesome  food,  retire  early,  sleep 
on  a  good  comfortable  bed,  bathe  often,  and  live  well.  If 
you  will  follow  the  plan  I  have  here  laid  out,  you  will  not 
only  enhance  the  probability  of  a  cure  for  your  stammer- 
ing, but  you  will  also  elevate  yourself  in  your  own  esti- 
mation and  in  the  estimation  of  all  other  men. 

DIET 

There  is  more  benefit  to  be  gained  from  diet  re- 
strictions than  the  stammerer  would  at  first  suppose. 
Many  persons  who  stammer  are  equally  as  unable  to 
control  their  appetite  as  their  speech.  Naturally  of  an 
active  temperament  and  a  nervous  disposition  they  fall 
into  the  rut  of  doing  everything  quickly  and  without 
regularity.  Probably  one  of  the  worst  evils,  aside  from 
that  of  stammering,  wrought  by  this  practice  or  habit 
of  doing  things  quickly,  is  that  of  rapid  eating  and 
overeating.      It    is    also    equally  as    harmful    to    the 

7  _97_ 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

stammerer  to  eat  food  that  is  highly  seasoned.  He 
should  avoid  the  use  of  spices  or  condiments  in  every 
form.  Eat  and  drink  nothing  that  contains  more 
stimulus  than  nourishment.  Eat  nothing  animal  or 
vegetable  that  has  not  obtained  maturity  to  reproduce 
itself  under  ordinary  circumstances.  Use  neither  tea 
nor  coffee  nor  alcoholic  liquors ;  avoid  fatty  substances 
and  eat  but  little,  if  anything,  that  contains  lard.  Eat 
slowly  and  drink  nothing  while  you  have  food  in  your 
mouth.  Indeed,  try  to  do  everything  moderately,  and 
keep  down  all  excitement  of  either  body  or  mind. 
Cultivate  a  cheerful  disposition  and  an  agreeable  state 
of  mind.  Cultivate  none  but  agreeable  feeling  toward 
all.  Be  regular  as  possible  in  your  habits,  whether 
of  eating,  drinking,  sleeping,  or  exercise,  and  do  all 
things  decently  and  in  order.  A  derangement  of  the 
stomach  means  a  derangement  of  the  nervous  system, 
which  in  turn  aggravates  your  natural  weaknesses. 
Nourish  your  body  with  wholesome  food,  and  eat  only 
such  things  as  can  be  well  digested.  Indigestion  is  one 
of  the  aggravating  evils  of  stammering.  Apply  the 
rules  here  laid  down,  and  notice  the  improvement  in 
your  general  health,  as  well  as  in  your  talking. 


-93 


STAMMERING 


PRACTICALLY,  THEORETICALLY 


lecture  delivered  before  the  members  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine, 

June  25,  1895. 

My  experience  from  contact  with  the  stammerer 
convinces  me  that  the  difficulty  is  scarcely,  if  ever, 
manifested  in  two  persons  in  exactly  the  same  manner. 
I  have  also  learned  that  the  conditions  under  which 
stammerers  experience  the  greatest  trouble  are  by  no 
means  the  same. 

There  appears  to  be  a  wide  difference  of  opinion 
regarding  the  definition  and  origin  of  this  malady.  It 
is  not  my  intention,  however,  to  enter  into  and  discuss 
different  authorities  and  criticise  their  definitions,  but 
to  outline  as  clearly  as  possible  the  cause  of  the  stam- 
merer's difficulty  and  practically  demonstrate  to  you 
my  mode  of  treatment. 

I  have  frequently  been  asked  the  question,  "To 
what  do  you  attribute  stammering?"  "What  is  the 
difference  between  stammering  and  stuttering?"  To 
the  public,  there  would  seem  to  be  but  little  difference, 

—  99  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

and  even  the  close  observer,  unless  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  peculiarities  of  this  affliction,  might 
easily  be  led  astray  in  his  conclusions. 

Without  going  into  detail  of  explanation,  I  will  say 
that  stammering  is  principally  manifested  in  the  articu- 
lating organs.  Stuttering,  on  the  other  hand,  is  largely 
confined  to  the  organs  of  respiration  and  vocalization. 
We  have  often  heard  it  said  that  persons  who  stammer 
in  conversation  can  sing  without  difficulty.  This  is 
generally  the  case,  but  not  always.  I  occasionally 
come  in  contact  with  persons  who  experience  the  same 
impediment  in  singing  as  in  talking.  Their  efforts  to 
articulate  certain  syllables  in  singing  meet  with  the 
same  hindrance  as  is  manifested  in  their  conversation. 
Such  cases,  however,  are  rare.  All  movements  of  the 
human  body  are  brought  about  by  the  action  of 
muscles  that  are  attached  to  movable  apparatuses  and 
are  made  to  operate  through  the  medium  of  the  nerves. 
Without  the  proper  co-operation  of  the  muscles,  it  is 
impossible  to  accomplish  anything.  Thoughts  originate 
in  the  brain, —  the  brain  acts  upon  the  nerves, — the 
nerves  act  upon  the  muscles, — the  muscles  act  upon  the 
bones, — and  only  after  this  process  are  we  able  to  under- 
take any  act.  If  the  process  of  action  is  one  of  harmony, 
the  act  will  be  successfully  accomplished.  If,  however, 
after  the  origin  of  thought,  there  is  an  inability  to 
accomplish  or  perform  any  ordinary  human  action,  the 
deficiency  is  due  to  a  lack  of  co-ordination.  This  lack 
of  co-ordination  of  action,  when  spoken  of  in  connection 
with  or  as  related  to  the  production  of  words,  is  the 
source  from  which  originates  or  develops  all  forms  of 

—  ioo  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

abnormal  speech.  The  humiliation  of  stammering,  the 
desire  to  speak  fluently,  and  the  fear  that  he  may  not 
be  able  to  do  so,  keeps  the  stammerer  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant mental  emotion.  It  is  owing  to  this  condition  of 
continued  fear  that  we  have  associated  with  stammering 
so  much  nervousness. 

With  the  aid  of  a  number  of  my  pupils  who  are  present 
with  us  this  evening,  I  will  endeavor  to  practically  demon- 
strate to  you,  as  far  as  possible,  my  mode  of  treatment.* 

My  manner  of  dealing  with  the  stammerer  is  prob- 
ably different  to  any  that  has  heretofore  been  intro- 
duced, my  own  experience  as  a  sufferer  having  given 
me  a  keener  knowledge  of  the  stammerer's  nature  than 
I  could  possibly  otherwise  have  gained. 

The  first  pupil  I  will  introduce  to  you  this  evening 
appeared  before  you  at  your  last  regular  meeting,  and, 
as  you  remember,  was  utterly  unable  to  read  or  speak 
three  connected  words.  He  applied  to  me  personally 
for  treatment,  and  was  obliged  to  indicate  by  signs  and 
by  writing  his  wishes.  The  contortions  of  his  face,  you 
will  remember,  were  most  painful.  He  will  address 
you  to-night,  and  I  want  you  to  note  carefully  his 
complete  change. 

I  will  also  introduce  to  you  a  pupil  who  has  been 
under  my  treatment  but  three  weeks,  who  stammered 
continually  for  many  years,  and  who  will  tell  you  in  a 
fluent  and  conversant  manner  of  his  remarkable  cure. 


*A  number  of  pupils  under  treatment  expressed  their  desire  to  attend 
this  lecture  and  asked  permission  to  submit  themselves  for  examination  to 
the  members  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine  as  evidence  of  the  thor- 
oughness of  the  treament  they  had  undergone. 

—  ior  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

I  have  also  with  me  a  pupil  who  has  been  under 
other  treatments  at  several  different  periods  during  his 
life,  from  which  he  says  he  received  no  perceptible 
benefit,  and  who  will,  I  am  sure,  be  pleased  to  relate  to 
you  some  of  his  former  experiences.  You  may  talk 
to  these  gentlemen  and  to  my  other  pupils  with  me  this 
evening,  and  I  do  not  believe  any  of  them  will  stam- 
mer, notwithstanding  they  are  all  here  in  Detroit  for 
treatment,  some  of  them  having  come  long  distances  to 
attend  my  Institute. 

Before  asking  the  gentlemen  to  address  you,  I  will 
endeavor  to  demonstrate  (as  far  as  the  time  allotted  for 
this  lecture  will  allow)  the  mode  of  treatment  I  follow 
in  my  school  from  day  to  day,  and  from  which  we  have 
been  able  to  obtain  the  results  you  see  manifested  here 
before  you. 

I  can,  of  course,  give  you  but  an  idea  of  the  work 
that  is  carried  on  daily  in  my  Institution,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  I  am  obliged  to  demonstrate  within  an  hour's 
time  what  usually  requires  from  three  to  eight  weeks  to 
accomplish.  * 

From  four  to  five  hours  each  day  we  exercise  our 
pupils  after  this  manner.  Vocal  and  physical  exercises 
are  also  introduced  and  generally  by  a  series  of  exer- 
cises founded  on  an  educational  basis  of  disciplining 
the  pupil  to  do  exactly  as  he  is  told,  he  gradually  gains 
perfect  confidence  and  freedom  of  speech. 


*A  half  hour  was,  at  this  point  of  the  lecture,  devoted  to  the  practical 
demonstration  of  the  I+ewis  Phono-Metric  Method  of  treatment,  used  largely 
in  effecting  a  cure. 

—  I02  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

At  first,  the  instruction  to  the  pupil  is  usually  pri- 
vate, and  after  he  has  made  sufficient  progress  to  war- 
rant it,  he  is  obliged  to  perform  before  a  portion  of  the 
class  what  he  has  already  done  in  my  presence.  If  he 
can  do  this  successfully,  other  pupils  are  introduced, 
and  he  is  placed  under  the  most  embarrassing  condi- 
tions, made  to  read,  to  converse,  to  deliver  impromptu 
speeches,  is  cross-questioned,  and  the  most  severe  tests 
applied.  If  with  perfect  confidence  he  proves  himself 
capable  to  fully  stand  these  tests,  he  is  then  permitted 
for  a  few  days  to  talk  at  leisure  to  myself  or  to  the 
other  pupils,  asking  any  questions  he  desires  or  he  may 
enter  into  general  conversation.  If,  after  this  time,  we 
find  that  he  does  not  stammer,  he  is  permitted  to  join 
our  question-asking  expedition  and  is  allowed  to  talk  to 
any  one  or  every  one — the- more  the  better. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  definitely  when  he  enters  the 
length  of  time  any  pupil  will  require  for  treatment.  It 
largely  depends  upon  his  application  to  his  work  and 
his  aptitude  and  comprehension. 

The  average  person,  however,  has  been  obliged  to 
remain  from  three  to  six  weeks. 


Author's  Note:  tThe "reader  must  not  infer  from" the  above  that  pupils 
attending  our  Institute  are  in  any  manner  asked  to  submit  themselves  to 
criticism  either  in  a  public  way  or  otherwise.  On  the  contrary,  we  are 
extremely  careful  to  maintain  the  utmost  privacy  for  those  who  place  them- 
selves under  our  treatment  and  care.  We  never  mention  the  names  of  our 
pupils  without  permission,  and,  when  desired,  the  strictest  confidence  and 
secrecy  of  correspondence  or  attendance  is  preserved.  As  already  stated,  the 
gentlemen  who  attended  this  lecture  expressed  their  desire  to  be  present, 
knowing  that  they  would  be  called  upon  to  address  the  members  of  the 
society.  Notwithstanding  this  caution  they  decided  to  attend  in  a  body  and 
were  highly  complimented  on  all  sides  for  the  success  of  their  undertaking. 

—  103  — 


CAUSE  AND  CURE 

OF 

SPEECH    DEFECTS 

And  the  Conditions  That  Render  Stammering 

Curable 


A  paper  read  before  the  Convention  of  the  National  Association  of  Elocution- 
ists of  America,  held  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  1896,  June  24  to  July  3. 

I  KNOW  of  no  other  subject  demanding  the  same 
consideration  and  attention  upon  which  so  little  has  been 
written  and  said  as  the  affliction  of  stammering.  It  has 
occurred  to  me  that  more  has  been  accomplished  for  the 
advancement  of  the  study  of  elocution  during  the  past 
five  years  than  for  the  cause  of  the  stammerer  during  the 
whole  of  the  bygone  century.  While  relief  for  almost 
every  other  known  infirmity  has  been  carefully  sought 
after,  the  cause  of  the  stammerer  has  been  sadly 
neglected. 

Schools  for  the  deaf  and  dumb,  institutes  for  the 
blind,  homes  for  sick  and  friendless  children,  homes  for 
the  aged  and  infirm,  asylums  for  the  insane  and  incur- 
able, and  many  other  such  public  institutions  mark  the 
charitable  spirit  of  our  country,  while  the  affliction  of 
stammering  receives  only  a  passing  recognition. 

—  104  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

My  own  experience,  having  myself  stammered  for 
more  than  twenty  years,  together  with  a  careful  study  of 
the  subject  and  contact  with  a  great  number  of  persons 
who  stammer,  convinces  me  that  a  great  majority  of 
persons  who  are  thus  afflicted  are  themselves  as  ignorant 
of  the  real  nature  of  their  malady,  as  are  the  persons 
with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  They  know  they 
stammer,  but  further  than  this,  concerning  the  cause  and 
necessary  means  of  correction  of  the  evil,  the  great  ma- 
jority of  them  know  absolutely  nothing. 

Before  much  can  be  accomplished  along  the  line  of 
advancing  the  cause  of  the  stammerer,  some  radical 
changes  will  require  to  be  effected.  The  stammerer  will 
require  to  be  educated  to  an  appreciation  of  the  neces- 
sary means  of  correction  of  his  difficulty  and  the  public 
in  general  enlightened  regarding  his  neglected  condition. 
I  feel  it  unnecessary  to  speak  in  condemnation  of  the 
crude  surgical  practices  for  the  relief  of  stammering  re- 
sorted to  during  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
Those  present  who  know  the  history  of  the  art  and 
science  of  treating  stammering  are  aware  of  the  awful 
results  of  which  I  speak.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give 
you  a  history  of  these  blunders.  They  were  too  many  in 
number,  would  fill  too  many  volumes,  and  would  require 
too  much  time  to  here  explain.  They  covered  a  period 
dating  from  the  early  history  of  Europe  down  to  1870, 
during  which  time  the  poor  stammerer  was  butchered 
and  tricked  in  every  imaginable  way. 

By  those  who  have  given  serious  thought  and  study 
to  the  subject,  it  is  conceded  that  stammering  is  of  men- 
tal origin.     With  persons  who  stammer,  there  seems  to 

—  105  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

exist  in  the  portion  of  the  brain  which  governs  and  con- 
trols the  motions  requisite  for  the  production  of  speech 
a  difference  of  brain  fibre  from  that  of  the  ordinary  in- 
dividual. The  difference  does  not  appear  as  one  of 
structure,  but  of  sensibility.  This  idiosyncrasy  exposes 
the  brain  of  the  stammerer  to  be  most  easily  disarranged 
and  the  organs  co-operating  thrown  into  spasmodic 
action  by  the  ordinary  mental  desire  to  speak.  In  other 
words,  there  seems  to  be  a  lack  of  co-ordination  and  of 
harmonious  action  between  thought  and  its  transmission 
and  conversion  into  articulate  speech.  Thoughts  of  the 
brain  arising  either  from  immediate  sensation  or  other- 
wise are  carried  along  through  a  succession  of  channels 
before  they  can  be  audibly  expressed.  Few  of  us,  unless 
we  have  given  careful  study  to  the  subject,  know  just 
what  this  process  of  transmission  consists  of.  To  better 
illustrate,  let  us  imagine  the  transmission  of  thought 
from  the  brain  and  its  conversion  to  expressed  words 
and  ideas  a  chain  consisting  of  several  links.     The  first 


link  represents  the  systematic  arrangement  for  produc- 
tion of  thoughts  and  ideas  that  originate  in  the  brain 
through  our  immediate  sensations,  or  which  take  their 
origin  in  an  abstract  manner. 

The  second  link  represents  a  determination  or  desire 
of  the  will  to  give  expression  to  thought. 


106  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

The  third  link  represents  a  generating  influence  of 
the  will  that  moves  to  action  any  portion  of  the  body. 
For  the  purpose  of  illustration,  I  have  designated  this 
influence  "  Motive  Power." 

The  fourth  link  represents  the  action  of  articulate 
speech. 

We  have  before  us  in  the  four  links  of  this  chain  the 
process  of  transmission  of  thought  to  its  conversion  into 
audible  expression,  and  a  complete  analysis  of  speech, 
which,  I  trust,  will  better  enable  us  to  discover  the  stam- 
merer's defect. 

It  will  now  require  an  investigation  and  examination 
on  our  part  of  the  different  links  which  make  up  this 
chain  to  find  the  point  at  which  the  functions  concerned 
cease  to  harmonize.  As  long  as  the  process  of  transmis- 
sion is  harmonious,  the  results  will  be  most  satisfactory. 
It  is  only  when  the  organs  concerned  in  the  production 
of  speech  do  not  act  in  harmony  that  we  hesitate  or 
stammer. 

Let  us  turn  our  attention  to  the  first  link  of  the  chain 
before  us.  Is  the  elaboration  of  thought  and  its  arrange- 
ment for  production  in  the  brain  of  the  stammerer,  un- 
systematic ?  Do  we  find  this  to  be  true  ?  If  true,  the 
stammerer,  intellectually  speaking,  would  not  only  be 
weak-minded,  but  would  also  be  lacking  of  intelligence. 
The  fact  that  many  of  the  brightest  men  the  world  has 
known  have  stammered  would  appear  as  evidence 
against  such  a  conclusion,  and  I  think  any  further  argu- 
ment on  this  point  is  unnecessary.  I  think  it  is  generally 
admitted  that  the  stammerer  is  not  weak  of  intellect,  but 
on  the  contrary,  many  persons  who  stammer  are  superior 

— 107  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING. 

in  this  respect  to  some  persons  who  are  gifted  with  per- 
fect fluency. 

From  an  examination  of  the  second  link  it  would 
appear  that  there  can  be  nothing  lacking  in  the  desire 
of  the  stammerer  to  express  himself.  If  so,  the  defect 
must  amount  to  either  an  excessive  or  deficient  energy, 
resulting  in  an  inability  to  give  physical  action  to 
internal  thought.  If  the  difficulty  of  stammering  were 
due  to  a  defect  at  this  point,  we  would  find  that,  as 
well  as  the  organs  of  speech,  other  organs  of  the  body 
would  fail  to  respond  to  our  desire. 

Again,  let  us  consider  the  case  of  the  infant.  Take, 
for  illustration,  the  child  who  has  inherited  the  original 
defect  of  the  stammerer.  It,  as  well  as  the  adult,  can 
only  make  known  its  wants  by  means  of  physical  action, 
and  if  the  defect  of  stammering  were  due  to  an  excessive 
or  deficient  mental  desire,  we  would  find  this  child,  be- 
fore speech  was  complete,  would  be  not  only  wholly  un- 
able to  express  itself,  but  would  betray  all  the  symptoms 
of  the  stammerer.  It  has  been  found,  however,  that 
such  children  do  not  betray  their  malady  until  a  more 
complex  action  is  required  of  them  than  the  mere  act  of 
desiring.  This,  to  me,  is  conclusive  evidence  that  the 
difficulty  of  stammering  is  not  attributable  to  any 
deficiency  at  the  point  under  consideration. 

Before  examining  the  third  link  of  our  chain,  let  us 
proceed  to  consider  the  fourth.  I  believe  stammering 
to  be  of  more  obscure  origin  than  is  generally  believed. 
True,  the  outward  manifestations  to  the  observer  are 
wholly  confined  to  the  organs  of  speech  and,  at  first 
thought,  it  would  appear  that  the  cause  of  the  difficulty 

— 108  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

might  be  attributable  to  wrongly  formed  speaking 
organs.  If  stammering  were  due  to  an  organic  defect 
of  the  organs  of  speech,  we  would  find  persons  who  are 
thus  afflicted  would  always  have  exactly  the  same  diffi- 
culty on  the  same  words  and  under  the  same  conditions. 
We  find,  on  the  contrary,  however,  that  persons  who 
stammer  are  at  times  able  to  converse  in  a  perfectly 
fluent  manner  without  the  least  hesitation,  while  at  other 
times  they  are  unable  to  speak  three  connected  words 
or  to  raise  their  voices  to  make  an  audible  whisper.  I 
am  willing  to  admit  that  persons  who  stammer  are  as 
liable  to  organic  defect  of  the  organs  of  speech  as  are 
persons  who  are  not  afflicted,  but  do  not  believe  that 
the  percentage  of  persons  who  suffer  from  organic 
defect  of  the  speaking  organs  is  any  larger  among 
stammerers  than  among  other  persons  not  addicted  to 
stammering.  Furthermore,  I  have  never  found,  in  a 
single  case  of  stammering,  the  least  defect  in  the  organs 
of  articulation.  I  therefore  conclude  that  the  action 
of  speech  itself  is,  with  the  stammerer,  perfect  and 
complete. 

We  have  now  examined  all  but  the  third  link  of  our 
chain,  and  having  found  nothing  to  indicate  the  origin  of 
the  stammerer's  difficulty,  let  us  proceed  to  examine 
the  third.  This  link  joins  mental  desire  with  physical 
action  and  would  appear  as  the  point  where  the  current 
of  thought  is  connected  with  the  movable  apparatus  of 
articulate  speech.  Up  to  this  point  the  process  of  trans- 
mission is  but  mental.  Here  the  current  of  thought  is 
connected  with  the  dynamo  of  human  mechanism,  and 
like  a  flash  mental  desire  is  transmitted  and  transformed 

— 109  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

into  moving  living  action.  This  point  of  contact  may- 
be the  source  of  all  forms  of  abnormal  speech.  The 
mental  energy  of  the  will  fails  to  generate  to  action  the 
required  stimulus  of  mind  and  body  necessary  to  the 
proper  co-ordination  and  harmony  of  the  functions  con- 
cerned in  the  proper  production  of  perfect  speech.  The 
lack  of  harmony  thereby  occasioned  results  in  stammer- 
ing and,  as  previously  stated,  the  point  of  contact  would 
appear  as  the  real  source  and  origin  of  the  stammerer's 
difficulty. 

The  unsuccessful  efforts  of  many  who  have  en- 
deavored to  treat  the  stammerer  I  attribute  to  unfavor- 
able conditions.  With  favorable  conditions  and  proper 
treatment,  any  case  of  stammering,  no  matter  how  se- 
vere, can  be  successfully  treated. 

Let  us  consider  for  a  moment  the  conditions  favor- 
able to  a  perfect  cure : 

First,  any  treatment,  to  successfully  overcome  stam- 
mering, will  require  to  establish  a  foundation  upon  which 
to  build. 

Second,  this  foundation  can  be  explained  as  the 
basis  from  which  the  child,  during  earliest  infancy, 
evolves  the  proper  manner  of  talking.  To  establish 
such  a  foundation  means  a  return  to  the  fundamental 
principles  of  breath  and  tone  production,  with  a  well- 
directed  force  of  will  against  the  mental  influences  of 
stammering  and  the  unnatural  conditions  that  have 
arisen. 

The  third  condition  to  a  successful  treatment  will 
require  an  instructor  who,  from  a  personal  experience 
of  stammering,  can  appreciate  the  feelings  of  the  stam- 

—  no  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

merer  and  know  the  trend  of  the  mental  influences  that 
act  in  discord.  Such  a  person  with  a  well-directed 
force  of  will  power  constantly  exerted  in  the  right  direc- 
tion can  successfully  direct  the  stammerer  to  a  proper 
deliberation  of  action. 

The  fourth  condition  to  a  successful  treatment  will 
require  for  the  stammerer  a  home  life  surrounded  with 
moral  and  persuasive  influences,  directly  under  the  care 
and  watchfulness  of  his  instructor,  where,  from  day  to 
day  during  treatment,  the  necessary  care  can  be  easily 
exerted. 

The  sixth  condition  to  a  favorable  treatment  will  re- 
quire that  the  stammerer  may  be  surrounded  with  a 
number  of  others  who  are  similarly  afflicted,  that  he 
may  constantly  be  reminded  by  them  of  the  grave  im- 
portance of  careful  attention  to  training. 

The  seventh  condition  to  a  successful  treatment  is 
proper  food  and  nourishment  for  the  stammerer.  His 
changes  of  diet,  hour  for  retiring,  and  habit  of  stimu- 
lants will  require  to  be  carefully  restricted. 

These  conditions  earnestly  sought  after  and  strictly 
adhered  to  will  make  favorable  for  successful  treatment 
the  most  severe  cases  of  stammering  you  can  possibly 
imagine. 


—  in 


INSTITUTIONAL  AND   HOME  TREATMENT 


There  are  many  diversities  of  opinion  as  to  what 
constitutes  a  good  treatment  for  the  cure  of  stammering. 
To  me  a  good  treatment  for  the  cure  of  stammering 
means  much.  To  others  it  may  mean  the  same,  but  their 
way  of  looking  at  the  matter  and  my  judgment  of  the 
affair  may  be  entirely  different.  Thus  I  will  endeavor 
to  make  plain  my  views  and  will  tell  what  practical  ex- 
perience has  taught  me  to  be,  from  all  points  considered, 
a  good  method  of  cure. 

Feeling  that  the  influence  of  both  the  institute  and 
the  home  are  necessary  in  accomplishing  the  cure,  I 
shall  endeavor  to  point  out  to  my  reader  a  place  for  both, 
and  throughout  my  discussion  will  try  and  make  clear 
my  ideas  of  the  merits  of  each.  The  fact  that  I  can  count 
on  the  fingers  of  one  hand  but  few  institutes  for  the  cure 
of  stammering  (within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century)  that 
have  proved  successful,  is  evidence  that  there  is  a  lack  in 
management  somewhere.  I  know  of  more  than  a  score 
that  have  started  apparently  under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances  and  have  subsequently  fallen  by  the  way- 
side. Who  is  responsible  for  this  ?  Was  it  a  lack  on  the 
part  of  the  instructor  in  his  ability  to  effect  the  cure,  or 


— 112  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

was  failure  due  to  lack  of  business  management?  In 
the  majority  of  cases  both  causes  were  responsible  for 
failure.  The  first  requisite  necessary  in  successfully  con- 
ducting an  institution  for  the  cure  of  stammering  is  an 
ability  to  effect  the  cure.  I  am  satisfied  also  that  no  per- 
son excepting  one  who  has  himself  tasted  of  this  cup  of 
galling  bitterness  is  in  a  position  to  understand  the  feel- 
ings and  condition  of  the  stammerer.  The  circumstance 
that  a  person  can  cure  a  single  case  of  stammering,  or  in 
fact  that  he  can  cure  a  number  of  cases,  is  no  evidence 
that  he  could  conduct  successfully  an  institution  where 
large  numbers  of  persons  thus  afflicted  are  expected  to 
congregate  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  relief.  To  suc- 
cessfully conduct  an  institution  of  this  kind  it  requires 
something  more  than  an  ability  to  cure,  which  is,  however, 
as  I  have  already  said,  an  important  element  to  success, 
in  fact,  the  most  important.  Institutions  must  be  con- 
ducted on  a  large  scale  to  insure  success.  A  small  mer- 
cantile business  will  sometimes  pay  better  returns  for  the 
money  invested  than  larger  concerns  of  a  like  nature,  but 
a  small  institution  for  the  cure  of  stammering  run  in 
a  small  way  is  nothing.  Everything  in  and  about  a 
stammering  school  must  have  attention  to  insure  good 
results. 

In  the  first  place  the  system  used  to  effect  the  cure 
is  important.  Whatever  the  system  may  be  it  must  be 
complete.  It  requires,  on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  a 
knowledge  of  all  systems,  without  which  and  without 
the  skill  of  an  adept  in  applying  them  the  results  looked 
for  may  prove  disappointing.  Surprising  as  it  may  ap- 
pear to  one  unacquainted  with  this  study,  more  depends 

8  —113  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

upon  the  thoroughness  in  applying  certain  principles 
than  in  the  methods  themselves.  To  know  a  thing  and 
to  do  it  are  two  entirely  different  things,  and  thus  it  re- 
quires not  only  familiarity  with  certain  rules,  but  also 
that  these  rules  and  principles  must  be  properly  applied 
and  carried  out. 

There  must  be  method  in  everything.  Even  as  a 
large  department  store  such  as  Wanamaker's,  of  Phila- 
delphia, or  Siegel-Cooper's,  of  Chicago,  could  not  suc- 
ceed without  method,  neither  can  an  institution  for  the 
cure  of  stammering.  The  business  methods  of  an  insti- 
tution of  this  kind  are  as  important  to  its  success  as  its 
methods  of  cure.  Correspondence  should  be  well  cared 
for.  Letters  carefully  filed  away;  answers  as  carefully 
copied,  and  all  correspondence  kept  as  confidential  as  a 
sacred  trust.  A  proper  office  system  throughout  should 
be  maintained.  A  separate  advertising  department 
established,  where  all  literature,  pamphlets,  circulars, 
and  magazine  advertising  is  properly  taken  care  of. 
Bills  due  should  be  paid  at  once,  in  order  to  insure  the 
financial  rating  or  standing  of  the  institution.  Receipts 
should  be  made  out  and  given  to  all  persons  paying 
money  into  the  institution,  however  large  or  small,  and 
the  utmost  economy  practiced  at  all  times. 

One  reason  I  think  that  so  many  institutions  for  the 
cure  of  stammering  have  failed,  is  because  of  their  many 
broken  and  unfulfilled  promises.  They  picture  things 
in  an  untrue  light  and  gild  their  phrases  with  the  warm- 
est coloring.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  We  see  the  same 
principles  carried  out  in  everyday  life.  Every  daily 
paper  we  read  is  filled  with  untruths.     The  advertise- 

—  114  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ments  of  the  majority  of  stores,  many  of  them  consid- 
ered reliable,  are  full  of  untruths.  "  Bankrupt  Sales," 
"  Going  Out  of  Business,"  "  one  dollar  a  yard  goods  for 
fifty  cents,"  "  dissolution  of  partnership  sales,"  and  what 
not  —  all  to  deceive  the  public.  Why  not  the  truth? 
Isn't  it  better  in  the  end  ?  Of  course,  and  so  it  would 
have  been  better  for  many  of  these  institutions  now 
obliterated  and  dead  had  they  not  made  so  many  prom- 
ises which  they  knew  they,  or  anybody  else,  could  not 
fulfill. 

In  looking  after  their  own  pecuniary  interests  many 
of  these  institutions  that  have  failed  entirely  lost  sight  of 
the  pupils'  welfare.  Their  object  appeared  to  be  to  get 
all  the  money  they  could  and  give  as  little  work  for  it 
in  return  as  possible.  The  patient's  interest  should  be 
considered  first,  in  which  way  is  the  only  way  of  serving 
the  best  interests  of  the  institution.  The  fact  of  the  mat- 
ter is  the  pupil  makes  the  institution,  and  without  that 
support  which  he  gives,  if  rightly  used,  no  institution 
can  exist  without  loss.  Here  is  a  critical  point,  how- 
ever, as  the  teacher  may  (overambitious  to  serve  his 
pupil  and  at  the  same  time  himself)  indulge  his  pupil 
in  liberties  which  he  should  not  have  with  the  fear  that 
his  order  to  desist  will  mean  a  separation  of  friendship. 
I  know  of  but  one  way  to  overcome  this  obstacle.  Teach 
the  pupil  to  know  that  duty  comes  first.  That  all  other 
issues  to  his  cure  are  secondary  and  that  you  prefer  his 
ill  will  and  respect  rather  than  his  good  will  without  it. 
Obedience  is  the  first  law  of  order  and  should  be  made 
infallible,  as  a  principle  with  pupils  in  their  duty  to  the 
instructor. 

—  115  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Let  the  teacher  establish  a  fixed  rule  in  dealing  with 
pupils  and  never  deviate  from  a  principle  which  experi- 
ence has  taught  him  is  best.  Accept  suggestions,  but 
do  not  accept  dictation  from  any  pupil  as  to  the  treat- 
ment best  adapted  for  his  particular  case.  He  comes 
not  to  instruct,  but  to  learn ;  not  as  a  teacher,  but  as  a 
pupil,  and  as  such  should  be  taught  to  obey.  Let  the 
teacher  ask  kindly  that  his  instructions  shall  be  fulfilled, 
and  carry  himself  with  such  dignity  as  will  maintain 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  pupils.  If  the  pupil 
openly  disobeys,  let  the  teacher  demand  obedience, 
and  if  necessary  exact  it.  The  majority  of  pupils, 
however,  are  ever  ready  to  obey,  as  in  obedience  to  in- 
structions is  embodied  the  elements  of  the  cure. 

In  considering  the  requisites  of  the  institution,  it 
can  be  authoritively  stated  that  the  influences  of  the 
home-life  are  absolutely  necessary  to  the  best  interests 
of  both  teacher  and  pupil.  In  fact,  I  consider  that  at 
least  25  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  treatment  in  effecting 
the  cure  is  in  some  instances  due  entirely  to  the  influ- 
ences for  good  which  all  pupils  under  treatment  for 
stammering  should  have  cast  around  them.  The  care- 
fully guarded  moral  life  of  the  ideal  home  should  be 
made  a  permanent  fixture  of  the  institution. 

In  the  conduct  of  institutions  for  the  cure  of  stam- 
mering this  important  feature  has  not  been  taken  into 
consideration,  and  for  this  reason,  if  from  no  other, 
such  schools  have  been  short  lived.  To  insure  success 
the  management  of  the  institution  should  provide  for 
its  pupils  a  home  equipped  with  all  modern  conven- 
iences, customary  to  modern  ways  of  living.     Not  only 

—  116  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

in  this  respect  should  the  home  be  provided  for,  as 
many  a  house  equipped  in  the  matter  of  modern  con- 
veniences, is  anything  but  a  home.  In  speaking  of  the 
home,  I  refer  more  particularly  to  the  influences  and 
surroundings  rather  than  to  equipment  and  furnishing, 
which,  however,  are  important  if  not  indispensable. 

Everything  in  and  about  the  home  in  connection 
with  an  institution  for  the  cure  of  stammering  should 
be  kept  scrupulously  clean,  neat,  and  cheerful.  Read- 
ing rooms  as  well  as  a  library  should  be  provided  for 
pupils,  with  plenty  of  wholesome  literature.  All  the 
popular  magazines  of  the  day,  such  as  the  Century, 
Harper's,  Scribner's,  Munsey's,  the  Ladies'  Home  Jour- 
nal, the  Youth's  Companion  and  several  dozen  other 
papers  of  this  class,  as  well  as  religious  papers  of  high 
character,  should  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  pupils 
of  the  institute. 

The  establishment  of  a  home  of  this  character,  how- 
ever, in  connection  with  an  institution  for  the  cure  of 
stammering  is  not  as  easy  a  matter  as  it  would  appear. 
It  costs  thousands  of  dollars,  but  it  means  much  to  the 
stammerer,  as  it  adds  considerably  to  the  value  of  his 
treatment. 

Parlors  should  be  provided  with  pianos,  as  well  as 
comfortable  sitting  chairs  for  retirement  and  ease,  and 
every  pupil  of  the  institution,  no  matter  what  his  former 
sphere  of  life  has  been,  should  be  made  to  feel  perfectly 
welcome  to  every  portion  of  the  home.  Deportment 
and  gentlemanly  conduct  should  be  made  the  only 
obligation  in  return  for  these  many  advantages,  and 
with  a  carefully  guarded  life  on  the  part  of  those  who 

—  117  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

have  charge  of  the  home,  the  highest  degree  of  success 
may  be  expected. 

While  the  institution  owes  the  pupil  a  duty  almost 
equal  to  an  avowed  obligation,  the  pupil  in  return  owes 
the  institution  a  duty  equally  as  important.  It  is  the 
part  of  the  teacher  to  instruct,  to  encourage,  to  enthuse, 
and,  if  necessary,  to  exact  or  demand.  It  is  the  part  of 
the  pupil  to  obey,  and  not  only  to  obey,  but  to  do  more 
than  obey  —  to  exert  himself  in  his  own  behalf. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  salaried  employees  —  of 
which  two  distinct  classes  have  always  been  apparent  to 
the  writer.  That  class  of  persons  who  work  only  for 
their  own  interests  and  do  exactly  what  is  expected  of 
them  for  a  fixed  sum  per  day  or  per  week.  That  class 
who  in  trying  to  serve  their  own  interests  try  to  serve 
also  their  employer's  interest,  and  who  show  by  their 
efforts  that  they  are  doing  more  than  is  expected  of 
them.  The  former  class  always  work  for  a  fixed  salary, 
which  is  never  advanced.  They  are  paid  for  exactly 
what  they  do,  and  they  do  exactly  what  they  are  paid  for. 

The  latter  class  generally  find  their  way  to  the  top, 
as  the  employer  realizing  the  fact  that  they  are  doing 
more  work  than  they  are  being  paid  for,  will,  if  just, 
advance  them  accordingly. 

This  same  idea  appears  to  prevail  among  persons 
under  treatment  for  stammering.  Some  pupils  work 
only  to  serve  their  own  interests.  They  obey,  but  create 
no  originality.  They  do  exactly  the  amount  of  work 
demanded,  but  nothing  more. 

The  other  class  is  that  of  pupils  who  work  not  only 
for  their  own  interests,  but  also  for  the  interests  of  their 

— 118  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

fellow-sufferers.  They  make  an  effort  of  their  own. 
They  put  forth  a  determination  into  their  work  that 
generates  a  like  determination  in  others.  They  create 
an  originality  and  do  many  things  not  absolutely  re- 
quired of  them,  but  which  serve  to  advance  them  in 
their  work.  In  this  they  are  wise,  as  it  is  only  in  serving 
the  best  interest  of  the  institution  and  of  his  fellow- 
sufferer  that  the  stammerer  will  succeed  in  serving  best 
his  own  interest. 

There  is  another  class,  and  a  most  important  one  to 
the  institution,  as  no  institution  can  long  succeed  if  ham- 
pered by  its  influence.  This  class  is  one  of  persons  who 
are  disinterested  in  their  own  cure.  They  come  into  the 
institution  because  their  parents  or  friends  want  them 
cured.  They  feel  no  humiliation  over  their  infirmity. 
They  boast  that  it  is  their  own  business  if  they  stammer, 
and  say  if  other  persons  do  not  like  their  style  of  talking 
they  do  not  have  to.  Such  persons  should  be  barred 
from  treatment,  as  their  presence  is  always  harmful  to 
others,  and,  besides,  effort  to  cure  them  generally  results 
in  failure.  They  are  as  indifferent  to  treatment  as  they 
are  to  the  opinions  of  those  whom  they  torment  with 
their  stammering. 

To  succeed  in  its  efforts,  the  institution  should  en- 
deavor to  instill  into  the  life  of  every  patient  a  determi- 
nation to  succeed.  No  such  word  as  " failure"  should 
be  permitted.  Stammerers  who  come  into  the  institute, 
not  knowing  the  importance  that  attaches  to  willingness 
to  obey,  and  personal  effort  on  the  part  of  the  pupil 
should  be  taught  the  importance  of  these  factors  at  the 
beginning. 

—  119  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Those  who  put  forth  effort  of  their  own  and  obey  to 
the  letter  should  be  encouraged  to  the  utmost,  while 
those  who  are  disinterested  in  their  cure  should  not  be 
permitted  to  enter. 

Rigid  discipline  inotreatment,  with  attention  to  detail 
by  the  pupil  in  following  out  instructions,  together  with 
carefulness  on  the  part  of  the  management  in  watching 
the  progress  of  its  pupils,  will,  if  the  above  suggestions 
are  carefully  observed,  add  largely  to  the  success  of  any 
institution  for  the  cure  of  stammering. 

The  advantages  of  the  home-life  in  connection  with 
the  institution  are  shown  in  the  benefit  derived  by  pupils 
through  association.  In  a  school  of  this  kind  the  co- 
operation of  the  pupil  with  his  teacher  is  absolutely 
essential.  He  should  be  taught  also  to  manifest  an 
interest  in  others.  In  this  way  the  subject  becomes 
interesting  to  him.  He  soon  learns  to  regard  the  cure 
as  a  study,  and  it  is  oftentimes  surprising  with  what 
earnestness  he  will  apply  himself  to  solve  the  problem. 

Mr.  A  becomes  interested  in  the  phenomenon  of 
Mr.  B's  case,  while  Mr.  B  is  equally  interested  in  study- 
ing the  peculiarities  of  Mr.  A's  case,  and  so  on  through- 
out an  entire  class  of  ninety  to  a  hundred  pupils.  Has  the 
reader  ever  stopped  to  think  what  it  means  to  have  this 
many  stammerers  all  collected  together  under  one  roof ; 
all  living  together,  eating  together,  and  working  to- 
gether? It  means  a  great  work,  I  can  assure  you ;  but 
when  these  ninety  to  a  hundred  persons  are.  constantly 
changing  places,  new  ones  coming  and  old  ones  going, 
it  means  in  the  course  of  a  year  many  hundred  patients. 
That  all  these  persons  should  learn  to  co-operate  with 

— 120  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  teacher  is  one  of  the  important  elements  to  success ; 
but  that  they  should  also  be  brought  into  associa- 
tion, one  with  the  other  for  each  other's  benefit,  that 
they  should  in  fact  each  strive  to  help  the  other,  is  a  still 
greater  element  to  success,  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant elements  of  the  cure.  In  this  way,  in  addition 
to  the  regular  teaching  staff  of  the  school,  every  pupil 
has  constantly  from  ninety  to  a  hundred  instructors,  all 
interested  in  his  cure  and  anxious  to  have  him  succeed. 

Another  advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  home-life 
in  the  institution  is  that  of  making  the  pupil  feel  satisfied 
and  cheerful.  Naturally  sensitive  over  his  affliction,  he 
does  not  care  to  associate  with  persons  who  have  no 
sympathy  for  him.  He  does  not  ask  for  sympathy,  yet 
dislikes  ridicule.  Thus  by  bringing  him  into  the  home 
where  he  is  constantly  in  association  with  others  who 
are  similarly  afflicted,  he  is  not  exposed  to  the  heart- 
lessness  of  unkind  persons,  which  he  might  otherwise 
fall  in  with. 

There  should  be  system  in  the  home-life  of  the 
school  as  well  as  in  the  method  of  instruction.  In  this 
the  advantages  of  a  home  for  the  pupil  are  without 
question  of  great  value.  He  can  be  most  carefully 
watched,  and  is  at  all  times  directly  under  the  observa- 
tion of  the  faculty.  His  hour  of  retirement,  his  daily 
exercise,  his  diet,  as  well  as  his  other  habits,  can  all  be 
carefully  regulated.  In  this  respect,  if  in  no  other,  the 
advantages  of  the  home  are  without  question  of  more 
than  real  value  to  the  pupil  under  treatment. 

In  a  word,  the  home  provided  for  the  pupil  is  as  im- 
portant in  accomplishing  the  cure  as  is  the  method  of 

— 121  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

instruction.  The  latter  should  be  thorough,  while  the 
former  should  be  adapted  especially  for  comfort,  con- 
venience, and  accommodation.  It  should  contribute  to 
make  the  life  of  the  stammerer  a  cheerful  one ;  it  should 
surround  him  with  wholesome  and  moral  influences ;  it 
should  in  fact  be  a  Christian  home  in  every  sense  of  the 
word,  and  thus,  while  aiding  in  accomplishing  the  cure,  it 
will  also  serve  a  two-fold  purpose,  that  of  adding  to  the 
life  and  character  of  the  pupil. 

When  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  enter  an  in- 
stitution for  the  cure  of  stammering,  go  in  with  all  con- 
fidence in  your  instructor,  belief  in  the  cure,  and  a  firm 
determination  to  win.  I  make  this  suggestion  for  two 
reasons :  I  have  observed  that  the  degree  of  success 
with  which  the  pupil  meets  is  always  in  direct  ratio  to 
his  belief.  I  have  also  observed  that  pupils  without 
confidence  in  their  instructor  lack  also  confidence  in  their 
cure.  Fortunately  I  have  had  but  few  cases  of  this  lat- 
ter kind  to  contend  with,  as  the  majority  of  persons 
suffering  from  stammering  with  whom  I  have  come  in 
personal  contact  are  firm  believers  in  the  cure.  However, 
I  have  occasionally  met  one  who,  owing  either  to  former 
failure  or  to  general  skepticism,  disbelieved  in  any  method 
of  cure,  but  who  for  the  sake  of  experiment  was  willing 
to  go  in  on  a  speculative  basis.  This  is  poor  policy, 
and  sometimes  proves  an  expensive  experiment  in  the 
end.  It  costs  the  same  for  treatment  whether  you  be- 
lieve or  disbelieve,  whether  you  have  confidence  in  your 
instructor  or  whether  you  lack  confidence  in  him,  and 
the  results  are  always  more  gratifying  to  those  who  be- 
lieve.    It  is  the  hardest  work  in  the  world  for  a  physi- 

— 122  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

cian  to  raise  from  a  sick  bed  a  patient  who  believes  he 
is  going  to  die.  It  is  equally  hard  for  the  teacher  to 
cure  his  pupil  of  stammering  unless  the  pupil  places 
confidence  in  the  instruction.  This  class  of  disbelievers 
is  detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of  both  the  institu- 
tion and  its  pupils,  and  often  dampens  the  ardor  of  a 
whole  school.  Many  of  these  persons  who  are  thus 
skeptical,  when  brought  into  contact  with  the  work  of  a 
well-conducted  institution,  lose  their  disbelief  and  be- 
come warm  supporters  of  the  methods  employed.  Their 
cure  makes  them  so,  for  how  could  they  be  otherwise 
when  they  have  actually  become  partakers  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  that  for  which  they  have  so  long  searched  ? 

There  is  much  truth  in  the  statement  that  stammer- 
ing is  a  lack  of  confidence.  I  believe  it  is,  and  also  that 
many  persons  stammer  in  their  everyday  actions  with- 
out ever  speaking  a  word.  Stammering  has  sometimes 
presented  itself  to  me  in  these  words :  "  I  don't  know 
whether  I  can  or  not,  I  don't  believe  I  can." 

The  majority  of  my  readers  are  persons  who  stam- 
mer. Have  you  ever  felt  that  sensation  of  doubt  ?  Is 
not  your  first  impression  an  impression  of  doubt,  when 
approaching  a  word  difficult  of  utterance  ?  Is  not  the 
second  impression  one  of  disbelief?  You  say  "yes." 
What  is  the  result?  Your  answer  is,  "failure."  Thus 
many  persons  stammer  without  even  uttering  a  word. 
They  doubt  their  own  ability  to  perform  certain  acts. 
"They  don't  know  whether  they  can  or  not,  they  don't 
believe  they  can."  They  halt,  hesitate,  stumble,  in 
fact,  they  stammer,  and  even  though  it  be  by  act 
alone,  without  the  sound   of  vocal   utterance,  neverthe- 

—  123  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

less  it  is  characteristic  of  stammering,  which  in  truth  it 
really  is.  When,  therefore,  it  is  shown  that  stammer- 
ing is  in  form  only  a  "lack  of  confidence,"  is  it  not  a 
reasonable  argument  that  the  degree  of  success  under 
treatment  is  always  in  ratio  to  the  confidence  of  the 
pupil?  Is  not  confidence  that  element  which  we  are 
trying  to  establish?  How  then  can  we  establish  a 
cure  unless  we  can  establish  a  confidence?  The  fact 
of  the  matter  is  the  cure  consists  largely  of  confidence, 
even  as  the  defect  is  largely  a  lack  of  confidence. 
Take  my  advice  then ;  when  you  enter  an  institution, 
have  confidence  in  the  instruction.  Do  not  go  in  on 
the  belief  that  every  man  is  a  rogue  until  you  prove  him 
honest,  but  in  considering  your  cure  believe  in  your 
treatment  that  every  man  is  honest  until  you  prove  him 
a  rogue.  This  latter  I  confess  is  not  a  good  policy  to 
pursue  in  all  things,  but  when  the  matter  of  establishing 
a  cure  for  stammering  is  thus  dependent  upon  the  estab- 
lishing of  confidence,  it  is  well  to  believe  from  the  be- 
ginning. I  refer  in  this  matter  entirely  to  the  pupil's 
conduct  and  belief  after  arriving  at  the  institution.  Be- 
fore entering  such  an  institution,  "  make  sure  you  are 
right  and  then  go  ahead."  By  this  I  mean  take  every 
precaution  to  thoroughly  investigate  its  merits.  If  it 
bears  favorable  investigation  and  you  are  willing  to 
"  make  the  experiment,"  cast  aside  any  disbelief  which 
you  may  have  previously  entertained  and  abandon 
every  doubt  before  enrolling  yourself  as  a  pupil.  Stake 
everything  in  belief  and  have  confidence  in  your  cure 
to  the  uttermost  degree.  This  will  insure  a  cure  in 
any  case  of  stammering,  it  matters  not  how  severe  the 

— 124 —    - 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

case  may  be,  providing  the  pupil  is  willing  to  obey  in- 
structions. Much  of  course  depends  upon  the  instruc- 
tion. I  refer  only  to  such  instruction  as  one  would 
expect  to  find  in  any  well-conducted  and  well-regulated 
institution  for  the  cure  of  stammering. 

The  time  was  when  such  institutions  did  not  exist, 
but  with  the  advancement  of  science,  new  ideas  have 
been  developed  along  this  line  from  which  have 
evolved  practical  methods  for  the  cure  of  stammering. 

To  enumerate  the  many  different  methods  that 
have  been  practiced  for  the  cure  of  stammering  within 
the  past  century,  giving  a  description  of  each,  would 
fill  an  entire  book,  and  could  prove  of  little  benefit,  if 
any,  to  the  reader.  In  truth,  I  believe  it  would  prove 
harmful,  as  much  time  at  earlier  periods  was  uselessly 
spent  in  vain  efforts  to  obtain  radical  results.  Only 
within  the  past  few  years  have  practical  methods  of  cure 
been  in  use  —  the  result  of  modern  thought,  investiga- 
tion, and  invention.  In  fact,  as  recently  as  1852, 
methods  of  surgery  were  largely  practiced  for  the  cure 
of  stammering,  and  with  harmful  results,  as  is  shown 
by  the  following  extract,  taken  from  "  Stammering : 
Its  Effects,  Causes,  and  Remedies,"  by  C.  P.  Bronson, 
M.  D.  Dr.  Bronson  was  considered  in  his  time  an 
authority  of  unquestionable  reputation,  and  concerning 
surgery  as  a  remedy  for  stammering  says : 

"  I  am  also  aware  that  some  persons  contend  that 
stammering  is  caused  by  malformation  of  the  vocal  or- 
gans, which  either  produce  or  modify  sound.  But  this 
opinion  is  incorrect,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  it  is 
caused  by  a  disease  which  induces  this  impediment  of 

—  125  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

speech.  In  consequence  of  this  false  notion,  some  grave 
professors  of  medicine  and  eminent  surgeons  have  un- 
dertaken to  cure  stammering  by  operations,  a  few  of 
which  I  witnessed  some  years  ago  in  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  New  York  University.  Being  person- 
ally interested  in  the  subject,  I  took  much  pains  to  see 
individuals  who  had  been  operated  upon  as  they  came 
out  of  that  college.  I  inquired  of  them  whether  they 
were  cured.  Their  words  and  actions  invariably  replied 
in  the  negative.  The  operation  I  would  observe,"  con- 
tinues Dr.  Bronson,  "  was  merely  piercing  the  tongue 
transversely  or  cornerwise  from  about  one-fourth  of  its 
corner  side  to  its  right  upper  side.  In  the  name  of 
common  sense,"  says  the  Doctor,  "what  has  such  an 
operation  on  a  modifier  of  sounds  to  do  with  the  organs 
that  produce  the  sound  ?  " 

Many  such  nonsensical  ideas  prevailed  among  early 
investigators,  the  results  of  which  served  only  to  dis- 
hearten the  stammerer.  Several  deaths  were  reported 
from  hemorrhage.  Stammerers  were  mutilated  and  cut 
to  pieces  in  every  imaginable  way.  Tongues  were  cut, 
tonsils  removed,  needles  were  inserted  into  and  passed 
through  the  base  of  the  tongue,  sharp-pointed  instru- 
ments forced  into  the  vocal  cavities,  gargles  of  various 
kinds  used  to  allay  the  irritation,  and  powders  adminis- 
tered to  the  patient  with  the  hope  of  benefiting  him. 

One  writer  says :  "  My  attention  was  called  to  an 
advertisement  which  proposed  to  cure  stammering  in 
various  ways.  One  man  advertised  to  cure  by  a  surgi- 
cal operation,  which  he  said  could  be  performed  in  the 
twinkling  of  an   eye,  and  the  stammerer  was  forever 

— 126  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

cured.  I  called  on  the  performer  (who  dubbed  himself 
Doctor),  but  without  the  least  faith  imaginable.  In 
the  center  of  his  office  stood  a  round  table,  on  which 
was  spread  in  beautiful  confusion  a  quantity  of  surgical 
instruments  such  as  dentists  use.  I  made  some  in- 
quiries as  to  his  mode  of  operation,  price,  etc.,  but  with 
what  little  knowledge  I  then  possessed  of  the  structure 
of  the  human  system  I  was  confident  that  his  apparatus 
was  all  a  humbug,  and  not  willing  to  be  '  fleeced '  for 
the  ninety-ninth  time,  I  retired  with  his  angry  words 
ringing  in  my  ears." 

Such  was  the  condition  of  things  up  until  as  late  a 
period  as  1850.  Earlier  than  that  time  matters  were 
even  much  worse,  as  is  shown  by  the  unbalanced  theo- 
ries of  authors  who  unhesitatingly  put  their  views  into 
print. 

As  already  mentioned,  it  could  only  serve  as  pro- 
ductive of  evil  that  I  should  discuss  further  or  enlarge 
upon  their  worthless  methods,  nearly  all  of  which  have 
since  been  abandoned.  Better  that  I  should  tell  my 
reader  what  I  consider  to-day  the  best  means  of 
treatment,  and  bury  these  old,  worn-out,  and  threadbare 
ideas  in  the  grave  of  the  past,  where  they  so  fittingly 
belong. 

The  use  of  a  surgeon's  knife  to  effect  a  cure  is  not 
required  in  one  case  of  stammering  in  a  thousand.  Only 
where  malformation  of  the  organs  appear  is  it  necessary 
to  perform  a  surgical  operation,  and  of  such  cases  during 
my  entire  acquaintance  with  stammerers  I  have  known 
only  one.  This  single  case  was  a  complicated  one  in 
many  respects,  and  it  may  be  a  relief  to  add  that  stam- 

— 127  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

mering  was  not  due  even  in  this  instance  to  the  malform- 
ation. It  was  necessary,  however,  in  order  to  correct  the 
articulation  of  the  sufferer  that  an  operation  should  be 
performed.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  his  stammering  habit 
was  entirely  cured  before  the  operation  was  commenced, 
thus  conclusively  showing  that  there  was  no  relation  be- 
tween his  stammering  and  the  abnormality  of  his  tongue. 
It  simply  happened  that  in  addition  to  stammering  he  had 
unfortunately  been  born  with  a  peculiarity  which  is  some- 
times manifest  in  persons  not  addicted  to  stammering. 
Had  he  never  stammered  the  operation  would  have  been 
necessary  just  the  same,  in  order  to  establish  perfect  artic- 
ulation. Malformation  of  the  speaking  organs  among 
stammerers  is  very  rare,  and  not  at  all  more  common 
than  among  persons  not  thus  afflicted. 

Among  letters  received  from  many  thousands  of  per- 
sons addicted  to  stammering,  and  from  my  personal 
acquaintance  with  a  great  number,  I  have  recollection  of 
but  few  instances  where  any  defect  other  than  that  of 
stammering  was  manifested  in  the  patient.  As  has  been 
demonstrated  again  and  again,  surgery  can  only  prove 
harmful  where  it  is  not  necessary,  and  I  know  of  no 
better  illustration  of  the  truth  of  this  statement  than  in 
cases  of  stammering.  The  less  the  stammerer  has  to 
do  with  the  knife  of  the  surgeon  the  better  for  him  in 
nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  every  thou- 
sand. 

I  have  always  maintained  and  still  believe  that  medi- 
cine is  sometimes  necessary  in  cases  of  stammering,  even 
as  I  believe  its  use  is  necessary  by  many  persons  who  do 
not  stammer.     I  will  go  further  than  this,  and  say  that  it 

—  128  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

is  particularly  beneficial  as  an  auxiliary  in  some  peculiar 
cases  of  the  intermittent  class,  where  the  physical  condi- 
tion of  the  sufferer  has  much  to  do  with  his  ease  in  talk- 
ing. Stammerers  who  suffer  from  exhausted  vitality  or 
who  have  weakened  energy,  in  applying  themselves  may 
oftentimes  profit  by  the  advice  and  attention  of  a  good 
family  physician.  Any  reputable  doctor  will  tell  you, 
however,  that  the  less  medicine  you  take  the  better  for 
you.  A  judicious  amount  of  exercise,  plenty  of  sleep 
and  rest,  and  good,  wholesome  diet  are  in  the  majority 
of  instances  much  better  than  medicine.  Often  a  mild 
tonic  is  necessary  or  even  a  physic  to  arouse  the  liver ; 
but  other  than  this,  unless  there  is  some  chronic  ailment, 
leave  medicine  alone. 

All  good  methods  for  the  cure  of  stammering  should 
have  incorporated  into  their  regimen  a  graded  system  of 
physical  exercises.  Graded,  for  the  reason  that  what 
might  prove  beneficial  to  one  patient  would  be  harmful 
for  another.  From  the  fact  that  mental  energy  and  will- 
power, upon  which  good  talking  largely  depends,  are 
largely  induced  and  augmented  by  judicious  exercise, 
one  who  stammers  should  take  every  opportunity  that 
presents  itself  to  put  himself  in  the  "pink"  of  condition 
physically. 

That  physical  exercise  is  beneficial  in  the  treatment 
of  stammering,  no  recognized  authority  disputes ;  exer- 
cises to  develop  the  torso,  and  for  the  development  of  the 
muscles  of  the  neck,  being  especially  productive  of  good. 
Physical  exercise  in  a  general  way,  such  as  one  will  re- 
ceive in  the  ordinary  first-class  gymnasium  where  the 
regimen  is  directed  by  a  well-informed  instructor  must 

9  —129  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

also  serve  to  lessen  the  severity  of  the  stammerer's  dif- 
ficulty. The  reason  for  this  is  not  at  first  apparent,  but 
when  one  stops  to  consider  that  such  exercises  serve  to 
subjugate  the  muscles  to  the  power  and  influence  of  the 
mind  the  object  is  readily  made  clear.  Who  will  say 
that  by  disciplining  the  muscles  of  the  body  to  obey 
the  commands  of  the  will  we  have  not  gained  the  first 
step  in  harmonizing  this  inharmonious  action?  I  have 
always  maintained  that  breathing  exercises  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  organs  of  respiration  were  highly  bene- 
ficial to  the  stammerer  as  a  means  in  overcoming  his 
impediment,  but  have  never  advocated  their  use  wholly 
as  a  means  of  physical  development.  My  purpose  in 
using  breathing  exercises  is  not  wholly  because  they 
strengthen  the  organs  of  respiration,  nor  because 
they  serve  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  lungs. 
Stammering  is  not  due  to  incorrect  breathing  habits, 
which  latter  are  generally  the  result  of  stammering. 
Neither  is  stammering  due  to  an  undercapacity  of  the 
lungs. 

Why  then  use  breathing  exercises  in  overcoming 
the  defect?  My  answer  is  "for  the  same  reason  that  I 
would  use  physical  exercises,  for  the  same  reason  that  I 
would  use  vocal  exercises."  Physical  exercises  are  well 
adapted  to  improve  the  general  health  and  physique  of 
the  sufferer ;  breathing  exercises  are  beneficial  to  aid 
in  this  physical  development,  and  vocal  exercises  serve 
to  mellow  and  strengthen  the  voice,  which  is  good  even 
to  persons  not  afflicted  with  stammering.  These  exer- 
cises, however,  as  used  in  connection  with  a  treatment 
for  the  cure  of  stammering  should,  while  intended  as  an 

—  i3o  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

auxiliary  to  the  general  health  of  the  sufferer,  be  given 
for  the  purpose  of  mental  discipline. 

I  will  endeavor  to  make  myself  clear  in  this  state- 
ment by  saying  that  the  defect  of  the  stammerer  is  in 
the  mind,*  not  in  a  weakened  voice,  not  in  general 
physical  weakness  nor  in  incorrect  habits  of  breathing. 
These  latter  are  all  the  result  of  stammering  and  are 
generally  associated  with  the  defect,  and  often  serve  to 
aggravate  it,  but  should  never  be  attributed  as  a  cause. 

Stammering  is  manifested  in  a  lack  of  ready  and 
harmonious  response  of  the  muscles  of  the  body  to  the 
commands  of  the  will.  It  is  therefore  by  making  the 
muscles  obey  the  will  that  we  principally  succeed  in 
overcoming  the  defect.  To  do  this  we  must  give  the 
mind  absolute  control  over  every  muscle  of  the  body, 
and  whether  it  be  a  muscle  concerned  in  the  production 
of  speech  or  not  it  must  be  disciplined  to  obey.  If  we 
would  control  the  unruly  muscles  we  must  obtain  a  more 
ready  response  from  each  and  every  one.  We  must  be 
able  to  control  them  separately,  in  pairs,  and  together. 
Desire  must  become  a  command,  and  command  law. 

To  accomplish  this  we  must  summon  to  our  aid 
every  exercise  where  mind  and  muscle  may  act  one  upon 
the  other,  and  by  means  of  a  process  of  educational 
training  we  strengthen  both,  teach  the  latter  to  act  in 
conformity  with  the  commands  of  the  former  harmoni- 
ously and  with  precision. 

As  an  illustration  let  us  for  example  execute  costal 
breathing.    We  place  the  flat  portion  of  the  hands  upon 


*  See  footnote  page  27 

—  131  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  sides  just  beneath  the  arm  pits,  and  by  inhaling 
through  the  nostrils  we  inflate  the  lungs  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  extend  the  muscles  of  the  sides  while  the  body 
assumes  a  flattened  position  from  front  to  back.  In  per- 
forming this  exercise  we  direct  the  mind  to  action  and  by 
exercising  the  will  and  centralizing  it  for  a  few  moments 
we  force  into  quick  and  ready  obedience  those  muscles 
which,  as  the  result  of  stammering,  oftentimes  refuse  at 
first  to  obey.  Other  forms  of  breathing  are  similarly  exe- 
cuted, until  finally  the  mind  becomes  all  powerful  in 
command.  Physical  exercises  serve  much  the  same  pur- 
pose. The  gymnast  will  tell  you  physical  exercises,  if 
practiced  regularly,  give  the  mind  control  of  the  body. 
This  is  seen  in  the  great  muscular  feats  performed  by 
such  men  as  Sandow,  who  by  the  command  of  his  will 
alone  could  knot  every  cord  and  muscle  of  his  body. 
Many  can  move  the  muscles  of  their  scalp  without  a  per- 
ceptible movement  from  any  other  portion  of  their  entire 
body.  The  same  is  true  of  the  muscles  of  their  chest, 
back,  legs,  and  arms,  over  all  of  which  they  have  absolute 
control  either  individually  or  collectively.  And  all  this 
control  is  but  the  result  of  continually  practiced  mental 
disciplinary  exercise,  the  organs  of  the  body  being  dis- 
ciplined and  educated  to  obey  the  dictates  of  the  mind. 
The  same  theory  that  applies  to  breathing  and  physical 
exercises  is  also  true  in  vocal  exercise.  Much  as  has 
been  said  by  others  about  the  advantages  of  breathing, 
vocal  and  physical  exercises  for  the  treatment  of  stam- 
mering, I  have  never  heard  it  advocated  nor  have  I  ever 
read  that  they  were  intended  for  any  other  purpose  than 
for  the  mere  object  of  simple  corrections  in  incorrect 

—  132  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

breathing  habits,  for  the  development  of  the  voice  or  for 
strengthening  a  weakened  organism.  I  have  always  been 
aware  they  served  for  all  these  purposes  and  that  they 
are  highly  beneficial,  but  their  better  purpose  has  never 
been  outlined  to  me.  It  has  come  to  me  through  real 
experience  in  the  treatment  of  hundreds  of  cases,  that  the 
object  of  such  exercises  as  I  have  mentioned  when  used 
in  connection  with  methods  for  the  cure  of  stammering 
is  for  a  better  purpose  than  is  generally  believed  —  that 
of  disciplining  the  muscles  of  the  body  to  obey  the  com- 
mands and  dictates  of  the  mind. 


—  133  — 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  SPEECH  * 


It  HAS  been  said  that  stammering  is  caused  by  a 
want  of  due  control  of  the  mind  over  the  vocal  organs ; 
and  as  the  brain  is  the  seat  of  the  mind,  let  us  consider 
its  physiological  construction  and  functions. 

The  brain  is  divided  into  two  parts,  the  cerebrum 
and  the  cerebellum.  The  cerebrum  fills  the  front  and 
upper  part  of  the  skull  and  comprises  about  seven- 
eighths  of  the  entire  weight  of  the  brain.  In  appearance 
it  resembles  an  English  walnut.  It  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  the  same  as  the  meat  of  a  walnut  or  hickory  nut, 
and  like  them  is  curiously  wrinkled  and  folded  with 
convolutions.  The  greater  the  number  and  deepness  of 
the  convolutions  the  greater  the  mental  power. 

The  cerebellum  lies  below  the  cerebrum  and  is  in 
the  back  part  of  the  head.  Its  structure  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  brain  proper,  but  instead  of  convolutions  it 
has  parallel  ridges,  which  give  it  a  peculiar  appearance, 
called  the  arborvitae  or  tree  of  life. 

The  cerebrum  is  the  seat  of  the  mind.  It  is  the 
function  which  the  cerebrum  performs  that  distinguishes 
man  from  all  other  animals  and  it  is  through  the  action 
of  the  cerebrum  that  he  becomes  a  conscious,  intelligent, 


*  Extract  from  the  Phono-Meter,  a  monthly  paper  exclusively  for  per- 
sons who  stammer ;  edited  and  published  by  Geo.  Andrew  I*ewis. — See  last 
page. 

—  134  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

and  responsible  being.  The  cerebrum  is  the  center  of 
thought.  Persons  in  whom  it  is  seriously  injured  often 
become  unable  to  converse  intelligently,  both  from  in- 
ability to  remember  words  and  from  loss  of  power  to 
articulate  them. 

The  cerebellum,  lying  between  the  base  of  the  cere- 
brum and  the  upper  part  of  the  spinal  cord  or  an 
expansion  of  the  cord  called  the  medulla  oblongata,  is 
the  center  for  the  control  of  the  voluntary  muscles. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  muscles,  the  voluntary  and 
the  involuntary.  The  voluntary  muscles  are  those  con- 
trolled by  the  will.  If  we  see  a  dime,  the  mind  sends  a 
message  over  the  motory  nerve  to  the  controlling 
muscles  of  the  arm  and  fingers  to  act,  to  get  into  motion, 
to  pick  it  up,  and  the  muscles  having  always  been  accus- 
tomed to  do  the  mind's  bidding  without  any  doubting, 
work  harmoniously.  Therefore  the  muscles  of  the  arm 
and  fingers  and  all  such  muscles  are  voluntary  because 
they  are  controlled  by  the  will.  Without  any  message 
from  the  mind,  our  hearts  beat  day  in  and  day  out,  year 
in  and  year  out.  This  throbbing  of  the  heart  is  beyond 
the  control  of  the  will  and  hence  the  heart  is  the  best 
example  of  an  involuntary  muscle.  However,  as  we  can 
wink  when  we  wish  to  and  we  can't  help  but  wink  every 
so  often,  the  muscles  of  the  eyelid  are  both  voluntary 
and  involuntary. 

Of  all  cases,  the  inherited  case  is  the  worst.  In  the 
inherited  case,  there  is  an  inherited  abnormal  condition 
from  the  very  first,  and  if  the  child  is  given  the  proper 
instruction  in  articulation,  vocalization,  and  breathing, 
and  is  taught  to  have  confidence  in  his  ability  to  talk, 

—  135  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING, 

and  knows  just  how  to  speak,  then  this  knowledge  be- 
comes a  power,  and  he  can  converse  without  any  fear, 
because  he  knows  just  how  to  make  the  vocal  organs 
obey  the  will.  But  if  his  case  is  neglected,  his  life  be- 
comes one  of  constant  fear  and  embarrassment.  If  a 
kind  friend,  a  loving  teacher,  or  a  fond  parent  does  not 
give  the  needed  instruction,  and  leaves  the  child  in  fear 
and  trembling  to  carve  out  his  own  self-cure,  he  may 
yield  to  the  taunts  of  his  thoughtless  schoolmates  or 
playmates  and  slowly  lose  what  little  will-power  he  may 
have,  and  gradually  get  worse  and  worse. 

The  reason  parents  and  teachers  do  not  give  instruc- 
tion to  such  children  is  because  they  do  not  know  how, 
nor  do  they  know  what  kind  of  instruction  is  needed, 
and  many  times  think  the  child  will  outgrow  it.  They 
never  outgrow  it,  however.  But  you  say  you  know  of 
persons  who  stammered  when  in  youth  who  do  not  after 
coming  "to  maturity.  Did  they  not  outgrow  it?  No. 
After  they  became  old  enough  to  think,  they  began  to 
study  their  case,  and  by  study  and  practice  they  effected 
a  self-cure,  or  greatly  modified  the  impediment. 

Voice  is  sound  produced  by  the  vibrations  of  the 
vocal  cords  in  the  larynx.  At  the  top  of  the  windpipe 
or  trachea,  leading  from  the  lungs,  is  an  enlargement, 
commonly  called  "Adam's  apple,"  but  really  the  larynx, 
or  voice  box.  If  a  small  mirror,  attached  to  a  long 
handle;  be  placed  back  into  the  upper  part  of  the  throat 
(the  handle  near  the  mirror  must  be  at  an  angle  of  45 
degrees,  so  that  we  may  look  "  around  the  corner,"  so 
to  speak)  behind  the  tongue  we  may  see  the  image  as 
drawn  in  Fig.  I. 

—  136  — 


FIG  1 


IN 


IMAGE  OF  VOCAL  APPARATUS,  AS  SEEN  IN  A  MIRROR  HELD  FAR  BACK 
THE  MOUTH.— From  Dr.  Cohen's    "  Health  Primer." 

By  placing  a  little  mirror  into  the  back  part  of  the  open  mouth  while 
the  latter  is  well  illuminated,  we  are  able  to  see  an  image  of  the  interior  of 
the  larynx,  and  observe  in  greater  part  the  mechanism  of  the  vocal  bands 
in  the  acts  of  respiration  and  production  of  voice.  In  this  way  the  register 
of  the  voice,  as  it  is  termed,  can  be  studied  optically,  and  its  transition 
points  be  noted  by  inspection.  The  credit  of  the  first  successful  demonstra- 
tion of  this  kind  belongs  to  Signor  Manuel  Garcia,  of  Iyondon,  a  teacher  of 
vocal  music,  who  in  1854  devised  the  plan  in  the  interest  of  vocal  art.  The 
manipulation  is  well  known  to  physicians,  who  frequently  employ  it  for 
observing  the  conditions  of  the  parts  in  disease.— Cohen. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

The  vocal  cords  A  A  are  shown  in  the  mirror  M  as 
narrow  bands,  on  each  side  of  the  central  opening  P. 
The  rings  partly  seen  through  the  central  opening  be- 
long to  the  trachea  P.  The  vocal  cords  A  A  are  two 
elastic  bands  fastened  across  the  larynx  between  which 
the  air  from  the  lungs  passes  out. 

The  arrangement  resembles  two  strips  of  India  rub- 
ber stretched  across  the  mouth  of  a  glass  tube,  into 
which  air  is  forced  by  a  bellows.  When  the  air  passed 
out  of  the  tube  the  edges  of  the  rubber  strips  would 
vibrate  with  sufficient  rapidity  to  produce  sound.  Dur- 
ing ordinary  tranquil  breathing  no  sound  is  produced 
by  the  larynx,  true  vocal  sounds  being  formed  only 
during  forcible  expiration,  when,  by  an  effort  of  the  will, 
the  cords  are  brought  close  together,  and  are  stretched 
so  as  to  be  very  tense.  The  space  between  them  is  then 
reduced  to  a  narrow  slit,  at  times  not  more  than  one- 
hundredth  of  an  inch  in  width. 

FIG.  2 


c. 


D. 


In  this  figure  A  A  represents  the  vocal  cords,  B  represents  the  position 
during  inspiration,  when  taking  air  into  the  lungs,  C  represents  the  position 
of  the  vocal  cords  in  the  formation  of  the  lower  notes,  and  D  the  formation 
of  the  higher  notes. 

Voice  differs  from  speech,  which  is  the  production 
of  sounds  to  express  ideas.     The  moo  of  a  cow  is  voice 


—  i38  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

without  speech,  while  whispering  is  speech  without 
voice.  Speech  is  the  result  of  the  action  of  the  cavity 
of  the  throat  above  the  larynx,  in  which  the  tongue,  lips, 
teeth,  and  palate  change  the  voice  into  articulate  sounds, 
which  put  together  form  words. 

Speech  is  voice  modulated  by  the  throat,  tongue,  and 
lips ;  the  modulation  being  accomplished  by  changing 
the  form  of  the  cavity  of  the  mouth  and  nose  through 
the  action  of  muscles,  which  move  their  walls.  Voice 
is  produced  by  vibration  of  the  vocal  cords  in  the  larynx, 
which  act  upon  the  air,  as  the  strings  of  a  musical  in- 
strument or  a  pair  of  membranous  tongues,  or  reeds, 
which,  being  continually  forced  apart  by  the  outgoing 
current  of  breath,  and  constantly  brought  together  again 
by  their  own  elasticity  and  muscular  tension,  break  the 
breath  current  into  a  series  of  puffs,  or  pulses,  sufficiently 
rapid  to  cause  the  sensation  of  tone.  Stuttering  is 
restricted  by  some  physiologists  to  defective  speech. 
Any  defective  speech,  it  seems,  speaking  generally, 
is  stuttering.  Stuttering  is  due  to  the  inability  to  form 
the  proper  sounds,  the  breathing  being  normal  as 
distinguished  from  stammering.  To  stutter  is  to 
hesitate  or  stumble  in  uttering  words,  to  speak  with 
spasmodic  repetitions  or  pauses.  Stammering  is  a 
disturbance  in  the  formation  of  sounds  and  is  due 
essentially  to  mental  emotion  and  to  long-continued 
spasmodic  contraction  of  the  diaphragm.  In  general 
as  commonly  used,  stuttering  is  the  repeated  utter- 
ance of  one  sound  before  the  next  can  be  emitted ; 
stammering  the  temporary  inability  to  articulate,  the  or- 
gans being  held  tightly  together.     Stuttering  is  a  defect 

—  139  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


in  respiration;  stammering  an  in- 
ability to  control  the  organs  of 
speech. 

Speech  is  an  art  that  should 
be  cultivated.  Conversation  is  an 
instrument  of  acquirement  and  can 
be  used  with  power  and  ease  only 
through  much  practice.  Let  us 
look  at  the  organs  of  speech.  The 
organs  of  respiration  and  voice  are 
the  larynx,  the  trachea,  and  the 
lungs.  In  the  neck  is  a  promi- 
nence sometimes  called  "  Adam's 
apple."  It  is  the  front  of  the 
larynx.  This  is  a  small  triangu- 
lar, cartilaginous  box,  just  below 
the  root  of  the  tongue,  and  at  the 
top  of  the  trachea. 

On  each  side  of  the 
glottis  (Fig.  4)  are  the 
vocal  cords  (B  C.) 
They  are  merely  elastic 
membranes,  projecting 
from  the  sides  of  the 
box,  across  the  opening. 
When  not  in  use  they 
spread  apart  and  leave  a 
V-shaped  orifice  through 
which  the  air  passes  to 
and  from  the  lungs.  When 
the  cords  are  tightened, 


c. 


FIG.  3 


Figure  No.  3  is  a  drawing  representing 
(C  C)  a  section  of  the  lungs,  (B)  the  trachea 
or  windpipe,  and  (A)  the  front  view  of  the 
larynx.  In  this  drawing  the  larynx  is  shown 
as  a  triangular,  muscular  box,  and  does  not 
show  the  glottis  which  is  shown  in  figure  4. 


—  140 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


ENLARGED  VIEW  OF  VOCAL  APPARATUS  SHOWN  ALSO  IN  FIG.  1 

In  Figure  No.  4  is  represented  a  view  of  the  throat  showing  glottis,  and 
vocal  cords.  The  opening  into  the  trachea  or  windpipe  (A)  from  the  throat 
through  the  opening  between  the  vocal  cords  (B  C)  is  called  the  glottis. 


the  edges  approach  sometimes  within  one  hundredth  of 
an  inch  of  each  other,  and,  being  thrown  into  vibration, 
cause  corresponding  vibrations  in  the  current  of  air. 
Thus  sound  is  produced  in  the  same  manner  as  by  the 
vibrations  of  the  tongues  of  a  mouth  organ,  or  the  strings 
of  a  violin,  only  in  this  case  the  strings  are  scarcely  an 
inch  long.  The  higher  tones  of  the  voice  are  produced 
when  the  cords  are  short,  tight,  and  closely  in  contact ; 
the  lower  by  the  opposite  conditions.  Loudness  is 
regulated  by  the  quantity  of  air  and  force  of  expulsion. 
A  falsetto  voice  is  thought  to  be  the  result  of  a  peculiar- 
ity in  the  pharynx,  or  back  of  the  nose.  When  boys 
are  about  fourteen  years  old,  the  larynx  enlarges  and 
the  cords    grow  proportionately  longer   and  coarser ; 

—  141  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OE  STAMMERING 

hence  the  voice  becomes  deepened,  or,  as  we  say, 
"changes."  The  change  may  occur  very  suddenly,  the 
voice  breaking  in  a  single  night.  The  tongue  is  styled 
the  "  unruly  member"  and  is  held  responsible  for  all  the 
tattling  of  the  world ;  but  when  the  tongue  is  removed 
the  adjacent  organs  in  some  way  largely  supply  the 
deficiency,  so  that  speech  is  still  possible.  Huxley  de- 
scribes the  conversation  of  a  man  who  had  two  and  one- 
half  inches  of  his  tongue  preserved  in  spirits,  and  yet 
could  converse  intelligibly.  Only  two  letters  (t  and  d) 
were  beyond  his  power ;  the  articulation  of  these  in- 
volves the  employment  of  the  tip  of  the  tongue ;  hence, 
"tin"  he  converted  into  "fin"  and  "dog"  into  "  thog." 
As  said  at  the  beginning,  speech  is  voice  modulated  by 
the  lips,  tongue,  palate,  and  teeth.  An  artificial  larynx 
may  be  made  by  using  elastic  bands  to  represent  the 
vocal  cords  and  by  placing  above  them  chambers 
which  by  their  resonance  will  produce  the  same  effect 
as  the  cavities  above  the  larynx.  An  artificial  speak- 
ing machine  was  constructed  by  Kempelen,  which 
could  pronounce  such  sentences  as  "  I  love  you  with 
all  my  heart,"  in  different  languages  by  simply  touch- 
ing the  proper  keys.  Speech  and  voice  are  commonly 
associated,  but  speech  may  exist  without  the  voice ;  al- 
though there  is  no  vocalization,  i.  e.,  no  action  of  the 
larynx.  Whispering  is  articulation  without  vocalization, 
talking  is  articulation  with  vocalization.  The  difference 
between  vocalization  and  nonvocalization  is  seen  in  a 
sigh  and  a  groan,  the  latter  being  the  former  vocalized. 
The  method  of  modulating  voice  into  speech  may  be 
seen  by  producing  the  pure  vowel  sounds  a,  e,  i,  o,  and 

— 142  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

u  from  one  expiration,  the  mouth  being  kept  open 
while  the  form  of  the  aperture  is  changed  for  each 
vowel  by  the  tongue  and  lips.  H  is  only  an  explosion, 
or  forcible  throwing  of  a  vowel  sound  from  the  mouth. 
In  sounding  singly  any  one  of  the  letters  we  can  detect 
its  peculiar  requirements.  Thus  M  and  N  can  be  made 
only  by  blocking  the  air  in  the  mouth  and  sending  it 
through  the  nose ;  L  lets  the  air  escape  at  the  sides  of 
the  tongue ;  R  needs  a  vibratory  movement  of  the 
tongue ;  B  and  P  stop  the  breath  at  the  lips ;  K  and  G 
at  the  back  of  the  mouth  or  palate. 

Stammering  depends  upon  control  of  the  mind ; 
upon  the  lack  of  confidence  in  the  ability  to  talk.  It 
is  the  result  of  an  inability  of  the  will  to  control  the  or- 
gans of  speech  properly,  and  the  inability  of  a  ready 
response  to  the  will  by  the  organs  themselves.  How- 
ever, the  will  power  is  one  of  the  great  factors  in  estab- 
lishing a  cure.  Stammering  generally  develops  in 
youth  and  is  strengthened  by  years  of  growth,  and  un- 
less the  person  has  will  power  as  he  advances  in  years 
it  will  be  harder  for  him  to  cure  himself  or  be  cured. 

One  type  of  stammering  that  I  will  speak  of  is  that 
accompanied  by  unnatural  respiration.  Its  power  lies  in 
habit,  the  mismanagement  of  the  breath  being  rendered 
habitual  before  the  development  of  the  higher  intel- 
lectual faculties  which  govern.  One  affected  thus  must 
endeavor  to  gain  control  over  the  organs  of  respiration, 
letting  the  will  make  what  was  an  involuntary  action  a 
voluntary  one  until  proper  habit  results.  In  natural  or 
abdominal  breathing,  when  the  inspiration  occurs,  the 
abdomen  is  protruded  outward  and  when  the  breath  is 

—  H3  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


exhaled  the  abdomen  is  compressed  inward  (see  Fig.  5). 
But  this  manner  of  breathing  is  not  practiced  by  the 
majority  of  stammerers  who  use  the  following  ab- 
dominal method:  The  upper  thorax  is  expanded  and 
the  abdomen  is  drawn  in  during  the  inspiration  and 


FIG.  5 


/ 


/ 


FIG.  6 


during  expiration  the  upper  thorax  is  returned  to  its 
normal  position  (see  Fig.  6). 

Alexander  Bell  has  said :  "  There  can  neither  be 
distinct  nor  graceful  articulation  if  the  vocal  organs 
have  not  a  proper  position,"  and,  although  indistinctness 
is  but  a  trifle  compared  with  stammering,  let  us  ex- 
amine and  see  if  it  cannot  be  removed,  as  it  would  tend 
to  the  formation  of  that  impediment.  The  follow- 
ing sketches,  which  represent  the  throat  cleft  in  twain, 
show  the  correct  and  incorrect  positions  of  the  throat 
for  articulation.  In  Fig.  7  the  larynx  has  been  forced 
down  the  throat  as  far  as  possible,  and  consequently 


—  144  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  tongue,  which  is  attached  to  it,  has  also  been  drawn 
down,  causing  it  to  be  flattened  at  its  base.  Thus  we 
see  that  the  throat,  including  the  pharynx,  has  been 
enlarged  and  the  air  column  given  a  larger  vibrating 
space,  resulting  in  an  increase  of  the  volume  of  sound. 
The  volume  is  further  intensified  and  given  a  more 
musical  quality  by  the  column  of  air  striking  the  hard 
palate  in  the  forward  part  of  the  mouth.  But  when 
the  throat  assumes  the  shape  as  portrayed  in  Fig.  8 
the  column  of  air  encounters  the  soft  palate  far  back  in 
the  throat  and  the  vibrating  space  is  greatly  lessened. 
Hence  a  throaty  and  suppressed  sound  is  the  result. 


FIG.  7 


FIG.  8 


CORRECT  8HAPE  OF  THROAT 
FOR  ENUNCIATION 


INCORRECT  SHAPE  OF  THROAT 
FOR  ENUNCIATION 


lO 


—  145 


RELATIONS    OF    THE    BODY    AND    MIND 
TO  STAMMERING* 


The  relations  of  the  body  and  mind  to  stammering 
is  such  a  complex  and  difficult  subject  for  an  inquiry, 
that  I  do  not  write  this*  with  the  hope  of  doing  full 
justice  to  it,  but  because  of  my  experience  as  a  sufferer 
I  feel  justified  in  writing  upon  it  No  one  can  be  more 
deeply  sensible  than  I  am  how  little  exact  our  knowl- 
edge is  of  the  bodily  conditions  of  mental  functions 
and  how  much  of  that  which  we  think  we  know  is 
vague,  uncertain,  and  fluctuating.  In  this  article  I  am 
going  to  attempt  to  analyze  the  different  mechanisms 
and  powers  which  act  upon  the  greatest  gift  that  God 
has  bestowed  upon  man.  One  great  error  which  many 
stammerers  make  is  that  they  are  satisfied  to  know 
what  stammering  is  and  its  effect  upon  them,  but  do 
not  endeavor  to  examine  into  the  intricate  machinery 
which  governs  speech.  It  is  self-evident  that  no  one 
can  repair  a  machine  until  he  knows  the  workings  of 
its  parts.  Within  the  memory  of  men  now  living, 
stammering  was  such  a  special  study  and  its  treatment 
such  a  special  art  that  it  stood  quite  aloof  from  general 
science  in  a  mysterious  and  mischievous  isolation,  owing 


*  Extract  from  the  Phono-Meter.    See  lait  page. 

—  146  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

little  or  nothing  to  the  results  of  progress  in  other 
branches  of  science,  and  contributing  little  to  its  prog- 
ress. The  reason  for  this  is  not  hard  to  discover.  The 
habit  of  viewing  mind  as  an  intangible  entity,  or  incor- 
porate essence,  which  science  inherited  from  theology, 
prevented  men  from  subjecting  its  phenomena  to  the 
same  method  of  investigation  as  other  natural  phenom- 
ena, consequently  the  treatment  of  stammering  was 
sadly  neglected,  men  of  science  not  even  attempting  to 
apply  scientific  methods  to  the  alleviation  or  cure,  but 
the  sufferer  was  generally  in  the  hands  of  quacks, 
whose  barbarous  methods  shall  for  all  time  to  come  be 
a  great  and  ugly  blot  upon  the  enlightenment  of  the 
age  which  tolerated  them.  Nevertheless  there  were 
some  men  of  the  medical  profession  who  viewed  the 
defect  from  a  physical  standpoint  and  operated  upon 
the  stammerer. 

These  methods  are  now  of  the  past,  since  they  will 
no  longer  be  tolerated.  Science  has  been  making 
rapid  strides  in  the  right  direction,  and  now  stammering 
is  viewed  as  a  mental  defect,  with  only  a  secondary 
defect  of  the  physical  apparatus.  In  fact,  the  physical 
defect  is  merely  a  weakness,  the  result  of  the  mental 
one.  The  mental  suffering  of  physical  pain  of  an  emo- 
tion tends  to  actual  wear  and  tear  of  the  nerve  element. 
We  may  take  it  beyond  question  that  when  a  shock 
imparted  to  the  mind  through  the  senses  causes  a  vio- 
lent emotion,  it  produces  a  real  commotion  in  the 
molecules  of  the  brain. 

In  order  to  make  my  analysis  clear,  I  shall  divide 
the  subject  into  two  parts  for  investigation,  viz.:    The 

-147- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

physical  apparatus,  and  the  mental  apparatus.  The 
first  is  easily  dealt  with,  as  for  centuries  each  part  has 
been  minutely  examined,  and  we  are  guided  by  facts 
which  have  been  practically  demonstrated.  A  brief  de- 
scription will  suffice  to  give  the  reader  sufficient  knowl- 
edge to  work  from  a  proper  basis.  It  is  constructed  in 
the  following  manner :  At  the  root  of  the  tongue  lies  a 
minute  semilunar  shaped  bone  which,  from  its  resem- 
blance to  the  Greek  letter  v  (upsilon),  is  called  the 
hyoid  or  u-like  bone,  and  immediately  from  the  bone 
arises  a  long  cartilaginous  tube  which  extends  to  the 
lungs  and  conveys  the  air  backward  and  forward  in  the 
process  of  respiration.  This  tube  is  denominated  the 
trachea  or  wind  pipe,  and  the  upper  part  of  it,  or  that 
immediately  connected  with  the  hyoid  bone,  the  larynx, 
and  it  is  this  upper  part  or  larynx  that  constitutes  the  seat 
of  the  voice.  The  tube  of  the  larynx,  short  as  it  is,  is 
formed  of  five  distinct  cartilages,  the  largest  and  ap- 
parently, though  not  really  lowermost,  produces  that 
acute  projection  in  the  anterior  part  of  the  neck,  espe- 
cially in  the  neck  of  males.  This  is  not  a  complete 
ring,  but  is  open  behind :  that  open  space  being  filled 
up  in  order  to  make  a  complete  ring  with  two  other 
cartilages  of  a  smaller  size  and  power,  which  together 
form  the  glottis  or  aperture  out  of  the  mouth  into  the 
larynx.  The  fourth  cartilage  lies  over  the  aperture  and 
closes  in  the  act  of  swallowing.  These  four  cartilages 
are  supported  by  a  fifth,  which  constitutes  their  basis ; 
it  is  narrow  before  and  broad  behind,  and  has  some  re- 
semblance to  a  seal  ring.  The  larynx  is  contraced  and 
dilated  in  a  variety  of  ways,  by  the  antagonistic  power 

—  148  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

of  different  muscles  and  the  elasticity  of  its  cartilaginous 
coats,  and  is  covered  internally  with  a  very  sensible  vas- 
cular and  mucous  membrane  which  is  a  continuation  of 
the  membrane  of  the  mouth. 

The  organ  of  the  voice,  then,  is  the  larynx,  its  mus- 
cles and  other  appendages ;  and  the  voice  itself  is  the 
sound  of  the  air  propelled  through  and  striking  against 
the  sides  of  the  glottis.  The  shrillness  or  roughness  of 
the  voice  depends  on  the  internal  diameter  of  the  glottis, 
its  elasticity,  mobility,  and  lubricity,  and  the  force  with 
which  the  air  is  protruded.  Speech  is  the  modification 
of  voice  into  distinct  articulation,  in  the  cavity  of  the 
glottis  itself,  or  in  that  of  the  mouth  or  the  nostrils. 

The  lungs  are  like  a  deep  well  into  which  fresh  air 
will  not  go  unless  in  some  way  a  current  is  made.  We 
make  this  current  by  breathing.  The  diaphragm  is  at- 
tached to  the  lower  edge  of  the  walls  of  the  chest  and 
stretches  across,  separating  chest  from  abdomen,  form- 
ing the  floor  of  one  and  the  roof  of  the  other.  When 
we  breathe  the  diaphragm  contracts,  being  partly  mus- 
cle, and  the  top  of  the  chest  is  flattened.  The  abdomen 
is  not  made  larger,  but  expands  in  front  just  enough  to 
make  up  for  what  it  loses  by  the  flattening  of  the  roof. 
The  muscles  of  the  tongue,  cheeks,  and  throat  shape  the 
sound  produced  by  the  vocal  organs  into  words.  We 
have  taken  a  brief  survey  of  the  physical  apparatus  and 
of  the  means  devised  by  the  Almighty  to  render  the 
transitory  ideas  of  men  communicative,  and  it  yet  re- 
mains for  us  to  examine  into  the  mental  apparatus. 

Although  we  know  much,  and  day  by  day  are  learn- 
ing more,  of  the  physiology  of  the  speech  apparatus, 

—  149  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

still  we  are  only  on  the  threshold  of  the  study  of  it  as  an 
instrument  subserving  mental  function.  We  know  little 
more  positively  than  that  it  has  such  function ;  we  know 
nothing  whatever  of  the  physique  and  chemistry  of 
thought  without  speculating. 

The  mental  faculties  are  numerous  and  complicated, 
so  much  so,  it  is  difficult  to  arrange  and  analyze  them ; 
in  fact,  I  do  not  know  of  a  treatise  that  gives  us  a  clear 
and  methodical  classification  of  them.  The  general  clas- 
sification divides  them  into  three  heads :  Intellections, 
sensibilities,  and  volitions.  The  intellect  is  that  by 
which  all  things  material  or  immaterial,  external  or  in- 
ternal, moral  or  unethical,  are  cognized  by  the  soul.  It 
is  universal  in  its  application ;  it  may  become  the  hand- 
maid of  any  of  the  faculties ;  it  may  devise  a  plan  to 
murder  or  to  bless,  to  steal  or  to  bestow,  to  rear  up  or 
destroy ;  but  as  its  proper  use  is  to  observe  the  different 
objects  of  creation,  to  mark  their  relations  and  direct  the 
propensities  and  sentiments  to  their  proper  and  legiti- 
mate enjoyments,  it  has  a  boundless  sphere  of  activity, 
and  when  properly  exercised  and  applied,  is  a  source  of 
high  and  inexhaustible  delight. 

The  sensibilities  are  the  capabilities  of  the  mind  for 
experiencing  the  feelings,  namely,  the  emotion  by  which 
the  mind  is  excited  or  the  desires  by  which  it  becomes 
apparent  of  objects.  The  will  is  the  volitional  power  by 
which  alone  the  soul  consciously  becomes  the  intentional 
author  of  external  action,  whether  of  mind  or  body.  A 
simpler  division,  in  my  judgment,  is  to  divide  the  mind 
into  the  powers  or  faculties  of  understanding  election 
and  emotion.     To  the  first  belong  the  principles  of  per- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ception,  thought,  reason,  judgment,  memory,  and  imagi- 
nation; to  the  second  those  of  choosing  and  refusing, 
and  to  the  third  belong  those  of  hope,  fear,  grief,  joy, 
hatred,  anger,  and  revenge ;  in  fact,  whatever  is  capable 
of  moving  the  mind  from  a  state  of  tranquillity. 

Now,  what  are  the  uses  or  proposed  ends  of  this  ex- 
tensive and  complicated  machinery  of  the  mind  ?  What 
are  the  respective  parts  which  its  various  faculties  are  in- 
tended to  fulfill?  Their  object  is  threefold  and  in  every 
respect  most  important,  and  admirably  calculated  to 
prove  the  wisdom  and  benevolence  of  the  Almighty 
Architect.  They  are  the  grand  sources  by  which  man 
becomes  endowed  with  knowledge,  moral  freedom,  and 
happiness,  and  hence  fitted  to  win  the  elevated  place  of 
a  rational  being.  From  the  powers  of  the  understanding 
he  derives  the  first,  from  those  of  election  the  second, 
and  from  emotion  the  third.  Yet  never  let  it  be  forgotten 
that  he  can  in  no  respect,  or  at  least  to  no  considerable 
extent  or  good  purpose,  possess  either  the  one  or  the 
other  unless  the  mind  as  an  individual  agent  maintains 
its  self-dominion  and  exercises  a  due  degree  of  govern- 
ment over  its  own  forces.  This  I  think  must  be  obvious 
to  every  one,  and  it  is  from  this  harmonious  balance,  this 
equitable  guidance  and  control  that  perfect  speech  results 
and  raises  him  to  the  perfection  of  human  character. 

These  are  the  powers  and  actions  that  lay  out  the 
pathway  of  man's  life.  They  act  upon  the  stammerer  as 
on  the  ordinary  person,  but  to  what  degree  depends  upon 
the  condition  of  the  faculties.  If  a  man's  reasoning  facul- 
ties are  poorly  developed  when  a  thought  flashes  through 
his  mind,  instead  of  that  faculty  taking  possession  of  it 

-151- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

at  the  proper  time,  it  will  allow  it  to  pass  on  to  the 
physical  machinery  before  it  is  prepared  for  it.  It  is  the 
dictates  of  moral  and  intellectual  powers  that  constitute 
rules  of  conduct,  and  results  in  the  collective  dicta  of  the 
highest  minds  illustrated  by  the  greatest  knowledge. 

Now  that  we  have  examined  the  different  parts  and 
functions  which  comprise  the  gift  of  speech,  we  must 
turn  our  attention  to  the  manner  of  treatment  in 
order  to  use  this  great  gift  to  its  best  advantage.  The 
keynote  for  getting  the  mechanisms  and  functions  into 
the  best  possible  condition  for  effecting  a  cure  is  human 
development.  It  relates  to  both  the  physical  and  men- 
tal apparatus.  Exercise  is  its  greatest  agent.  By  it  the 
ideal  man  is  produced,  that  is,  one  who  is  moving  in  all 
respects  toward  perfection  and  not  in  the  other  direc- 
tion. He  is  a  man  with  a  vigorously  healthy  body,  a 
great  mind,  and  a  large  heart,  who  has  assimilated  all 
he  knows,  whose  original  ideas  outnumber  those  gained 
from  books,  and  who  is  blessed  with  as  many  emotions 
as  ideas.  It  means  that  a  man  can  multiply  himself 
until  he  is  ten  men ;  he  may  increase  his  native  powers 
tenfold  and  accomplish  what  he  now  accomplishes  and 
do  it  ten  times  better.  If  he  is  weak  in  mind  or  body, 
he  may  become  strong,  and  if  dull  may  become  bril- 
liant. If  he  is  now  following,  instead  of  leading,  he 
may  reverse  this  condition,  and  if  his  influence  is  now 
scarcely  felt,  he  may  so  enlarge  his  force  as  to  transmit 
power  around  the  globe.  First,  in  regard  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  physical  parts.  Good  health  means 
more  than  freedom  from  disease.  It  means  such  an 
abundance  of  life  and  vitality  as  to  give  the  sense  of 

-152- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

physical  vigor.  It  is  the  foundation  of  intellectual  suc- 
cess and  good  character.  All  virtues  and  generous 
impulses  of  noble  nature  spring  from  robust  health. 
Exercise  ennobles  and  leads  to  health  and  joy  necessary 
attributes  for  a  successful  cure.  Mind,  as  well  as  health, 
is  the  product  of  both  nerves  and  muscles.  Only  in  a 
harmonious  life,  combining  physical  and  mental  labor 
for  each  day,  is  there  possibility  of  health,  strength,  in- 
tellect, and  long  life. 

Breath  is  the  material  out  of  which  voice  is  made, 
and  it  should  be  abundant;  it  should  be  obtained  in  the 
proper  manner  and  used  with  discretion.  Exercise  in 
deep,  effusive,  and  expulsive  breathing  will  be  found  of 
the  greatest  utility  in  enlarging  the  capacity  of  the  lungs 
and  giving  the  student  more  perfect  control  over  his  voice. 
Gymnastic  and  calisthenic  exercises,  when  not  carried 
to  excess,  are  of  great  service  in  developing  the  voice, 
and,  indeed,  the  habit  of  performing  certain  muscular 
actions  such  as  tend  to  expand  the  chest  and  produce  a 
general  glow  of  the  body  without  causing  fatigue,  is 
very  beneficial.  Air  should  never  be  taken  into  the 
lungs  except  through  the  nostrils,  since  nothing  is  more 
injurious,  whether  to  a  pure  quality  of  voice  or  to 
health,  than  the  habit  of  breathing  through  the  mouth. 
The  rule  is  of  vital  importance  to  those  who  have  any 
tendency  to  disease  of  the  lungs,  larynx,  or  bronchial 
tubes.  Stammerers,  as  a  general  rule,  use  only  a  lim- 
ited portion  of  the  lungs,  that  which  lies  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  chest,  which,  consequently,  is  overworked, 
superinducing  a  sensation  of  feebleness  and  exhaus- 
tion. 

—  153  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

In  speaking,  the  effort  should,  by  all  means,  be 
made  below  the  diaphragm,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is 
the  muscle  forming  the  floor  of  the  chest,  then  by  its 
depression,  admitting  the  air  into  the  lungs,  and  eleva- 
tion, expelling  it  therefrom  through  the  glottis  and 
larynx,  it  is  converted  into  sound  and  thence  into  the 
mouth,  where,  by  the  action  of  the  various  organs,  it  is 
converted  into  speech.  The  observance  of  this  precept, 
whilst  conducive  to  the  ease  and  comfort  of  the  speaker, 
and  giving  him  more  control  over  the  organs  of  speech, 
will  also  help  to  develop  greater  strength  and  fullness 
of  voice. 

The  stammerer,  after  perfecting  his  breathing,  should 
turn  his  attention  to  one  of  the  most  essential  requisites 
of  speech,  viz.,  articulation.  There  is  an  intimate  rela- 
tion between  distinct  enunciation  and  true  cultivation  of 
the  mind.  Austin  says:  "In  just  articulation,  the 
words  are  not  hurried  over  or  precipitated  syllable  over 
syllable.  They  are  delivered  from  the  lips  as  beautiful 
coins,  newly  issued  from  the  mint,  deeply  and  accurately 
impressed,  perfectly  finished,  neatly  struck  by  the 
proper  organs,  distinct,  sharp,  in  due  succession,  and 
of  due  weight." 

The  student  should  practice  long  and  faithfully  on 
the  elementary  sounds  of  our  language.  He  should 
give  special  attention  to  developing  symphony,  or  ease 
of  utterance,  which  can  be  accomplished  by  prefixing 
or  suffixing  the  consonants  to  the  vowels  and  repeating 
them  several  times. 

Now  in  regard  to  vocalization.  Let  him  develop 
modulation.     It  is  the  music  of  speech  and  the  melody 

-154  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

of  oratory.  It  enables  the  stammerer  to  control  him- 
self by  a  slow  style,  and  at  the  same  time  give  the 
sentiment  its  due  force  and  relative  position.  So 
the  whole  discourse  is  breathed  forth  in  harmony  which 
is  pleasant  to  the  ear,  with  the  speaker  controlling  each 
successive  action.  To  enable  the  student  to  acquire 
this  he  should  daily  practice  prolonging  the  vowel 
sound  after  taking  a  deep  breath,  in  a  firm  and  easy 
manner,  until  he  has  expelled  the  breath.  Then  con- 
tinue the  same  practice,  but  give  the  vowels  a  rising 
and  falling  inflection.  The  degree  of  force  given  to 
vocal  sound  is  taken  as  the  measure  of  the  emotion 
which  causes  it,  except  where  feeling  becomes  too 
strong  for  utterance,  and  is  able  to  manifest  itself  only 
by  choked  or  half-articulated  speech.  But  a  command 
over  all  degrees  of  force  can  be  obtained  by  practice. 
Health  nor  strength  of  lungs  without  thorough  disci- 
pline of  the  organs  of  speech  can  give  this.  Assiduous 
practice  and  untiring  labor  will  produce  the  best  results. 
Again,  let  the  student  exercise  the  muscles  of  the  lips 
and  make  them  strong  and  flexible,  so  that  they  will 
quickly  respond  to  their  proper  function.  As  the  shrill- 
ness and  roughness  of  the  voice  depend  on  the  glottis, 
it  should  be  properly  developed  by  exercise.  There- 
fore let  the  student  acquire  deep  respiration,  firm  and 
easy  vocalization,  wide  and  free  articulation. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  mental  side 
of  human  development.  I  hope  that  I  may  be  able  to 
impress  upon  each  and  every  stammerer  the  importance 
of  this.  I  have  found  that  very  many  of  the  afflicted, 
on  account  of  their  infirmity,  will  leave  school  at  an 

—  155  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

age  when  it  might  be  said  their  education  is  only 
beginning,  and  seek  some  secluded  employment  where 
they  will  not  be  required  to  talk,  and  then  surrender  to 
the  enemy  without  making  any  kind  of  a  fight.  Even 
those  that  can  well  afford  a  college  education  will  shirk 
from  it  and  prefer  to  isolate  themselves  so  as  not  to 
come  in  contact  with  those  who  make  up  this  great 
universe.  Reader,  this  is  one  of  the  greatest  errors  a 
stammerer  can  make.  Instead  of  training  those  facul- 
ties, which  are  to  be  the  foundation  of  his  cure,  he 
neglects  them  and  is  handicapped  by  working  with  dull 
tools  instead  of  having  them  sharpened  to  their  keenest 
edge.  In  these  days  of  our  public  schools,  free  libraries, 
cheap,  but  good  literature,  there  is  no  excuse  for  any 
one  not  developing  the  mental  faculties.  Let  me  exhort 
every  stammerer  not  to  be  abashed  and  surrender,  but 
while  in  his  youth  especially,  and  in  fact,  all  his  life,  let 
him  seek  for  knowledge  and  aim  at  the  highest  step  on 
the  ladder  of  fame.  Prepare  to  fight  the  battle  of  life 
with  all  the  vigor  and  enthusiasm  you  can  command. 
Do  not  let  the  embarrassments  of  the  school  room,  or 
of  business  life,  drive  you  away.  Let  your  highest  na- 
ture assert  itself  and  allow  nothing  to  daunt  you  in  the 
fight.  Man  appears  on  earth  only  partly  made.  His 
is  an  unfinished  product.  His  creation  is  only  begun. 
He  should  build  himself  to  bear  his  burdens,  for  if  they 
cannot  be  lightened  he  can  become  a  giant  to  bear  them. 
Although  the  possession  of  observation,  imagination, 
emotion,  reason,  etc.,  is  dependent  upon  heredity,  yet 
whether  one  inherit  them  in  a  large  or  small  measure, 
he  may  enormously  add  to  their  strength.     How?     By 

-156- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

education.  According  to  man's  thinking,  and  his  power 
to  think,  is  the  whole  measure  of  the  man.  His  thoughts 
are  himself.  Discipline  is  the  condition  of  his  increase. 
Education  is  the  great  idea.  It  implies  the  science  of 
man  himself  in  all  relations,  and  is  the  highest  chapter 
in  human  philosophy.  It  is  the  work  of  enlargement, 
improvement,  progress,  advancement,  refinement,  and 
elevation,  all  of  which  are  mighty  arms  for  the  stam- 
merer's combat.  "As  a  man  thinketh  so  is  he."  Hence 
the  thinker  is  your  real  man,  because  he  insists  upon 
his  inalienable  rights.  Everything  must  give  way  before 
him  —  all  the  secrets  of  nature,  all  the  complexities  of 
society  —  and  on  account  of  the  development  of  his  will 
is  strongly  fortified  against  stammering.  A  thinking  and 
reflexive  mind  is  almost  a  safeguard  against  stammer- 
ing, as  it  brings  about  a  style  of  speech  which  is  delib- 
erate and  firm.  This  power  of  thinking  is  developed  by 
study.  In  this  exercise  the  soul  grows  mighty,  ideas 
are  forged  out,  and  at  length  receive  glorious  embodi- 
ments. From  the  smallest  incidents  and  the  most 
casual  chances  the  thinker  weaves  the  grandest  results. 
Never  give  up  fighting,  and  remember  the  old  saying, 
that  is  quoted  so  much  but  never  loses  its  force,  "Where 
there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way." 

Let  the  stammerer  keep  the  fire  of  his  ambition 
aglow,  use  every  energy,  and  bring  forth  his  force  of 
manhood  to  fight  this  great  battle.  He  must  learn  to 
depend  upon  self  and  not  say,  I  will  allow  so  and  so  to 
cure  me.  Rather,  he  must  say,  I  will  procure  the  valu- 
able assistance  of  so  and  so  and  with  that  assistance  use 
my  energies  and  thereby  perfect  a  cure.     He  will  never 

— *57  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

gain  anything  if  he  simply  follows  a  set  of  rules  in  a  list- 
less manner.  Remember  what  Bacon  says  is  true, 
"  Knowledge  is  power."  You  are  looking  for  power. 
Procure  knowledge  at  all  hazards.  It  opens  to  you  a  new 
vista  of  happiness,  makes  an  intelligent  citizen,  and 
enables  you  to  fulfill  with  a  higher  degree  of  excellence 
the  duties  laid  upon  you  by  the  Almighty.  It  is  a  com- 
panion which  no  misfortune  can  depress,  no  clime  de- 
stroy, no  enemy  alienate,  no  despotism  enslave,  at  home 
a  friend,  abroad  an  introduction,  in  solitude  a  solace,  in 
society  an  ornament,  it  guides  virtue,  and  gives  grace 
to  genius. 

Following  are  some  of  the  rules  that  have  been  laid 
down  by  men  who,  in  the  past,  have  done  much  for  the 
stammerers'  cause : 

1 .  Pupils  must  apply  themselves  seriously  and  with 
perseverance  to  practice  a  system  until  it  becomes  a  set- 
tled habit  with  them. 

2.  Before  speaking  they  must  be  careful  to  take  a 
full  and  quiet  breath,  and  to  renew  their  respiration  ac- 
cording to  the  sense  of  the  phrase,  and  never  to  speak 
when  air  is  exhausted. 

3.  Be  careful  in  regard  to  the  movement  of  the  lips 
and  tongue. 

4.  Preserve  a  good  syllabication.  This  is  easily  hid- 
den by  the  intonation  and  inflection  of  the  voice. 

5.  Speak  with  assurance,  keep  watch  of  the  omission 
of  your  words,  exercise  full  control  over  yourself,  and 
the  more  you  feel  embarrassed  the  more  you  must 
speak  slowly,  coolly,  and  deliberately.  In  a  word,  be 
ever  on  your  guard  and  watch  yourself  attentively, 

-158- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

6.  We  may  sum  up  the  system  in  three  words,  viz.: 
Respiration,  syllabication,  and  tranquillity.  These  in- 
clude everything,  and  are  equally  indispensable. 

7.  Take  advantage  of  all  opportunities  to  speak 
slowly,  as,  for  instance,  when  you  are  with  your  family 
and  friends.  Pupils  will  profit  much  more  by  slow  ex- 
ercises than  rapid  ones. 

8.  Let  the  pupil  have  courage  and  patience;  he 
must  never  be  disheartened  with  the  work,  but  must 
have  confidence  in  himself  and  not  be  intimidated  by 
others.     He  will  then  obtain  an  enduring  success. 


— 159— 


PECULIARITIES  IN  STAMMERING  AND  HOW 
TO  OVERCOME  THEM 


It  HAS  been  apparent  to  me  for  several  years  past 
that  of  numerous  different  forms  of  stammering  there 
are  two  types  strikingly  different,  which  can  be  subdi- 
vided into  as  many  different  classifications  as  there  are 
types  of  man.  No  two  cases  of  stammering  are  exactly 
alike,  each  having  its  own  phenomenon,  and  yet  a  true 
statement,  and  apparently  a  contradictory  one  is  this, 
that  all  cases  are  exactly  alike  —  the  difference  in  type 
amounting  only  to  a  difference  in  physical  manifesta- 
tions or  in  severity,  a  mental  idiosyncrasy  existing  in 
every  case  as  the  parent  cause  of  the  difficulty.  Every 
person  or  nearly  every  person  who  stammers  imagines 
that  their  own  case  is  peculiarly  different  from  others. 
They  tell  you  of  little  peculiarities  which  they  imagine 
are  entirely  unlike  other  cases  of  stammering,  and  yet 
nearly  every  other  person  so  afflicted  repeats  to  you  the 
same  story.  One  man  tells  me  he  suffers  great  embar- 
rassment in  talking  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  but  no 
difficulty  whatever  when  talking  with  his  immediate 
friends  or  relatives.     Another  states  that  he  has  the 

— 160  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

most  difficulty  in  talking  with  his  own  immediate  rela- 
tives, while  conversation  with  strangers  causes  him  no 
trouble  whatever.  Another  states  that  in  the  morning 
his  trouble  manifests  itself  more  than  at  any  other  time 
during  the  day.  Another  has  greater  trouble  in  the 
evening  after  his  day's  work  has  been  finished.  I  could 
go  on  in  this  way  and  fill  a  whole  volume  with  the 
peculiarities  of  a  great  number  of  cases,  but  will  dis- 
cuss such  later  and  devote  my  time  here  to  the  two 
first  mentioned.  It  appears  to  me  that  persons  suffer- 
ing from  stammering  to  the  greatest  degree  in  the  pres- 
ence of  strangers  or  under  embarrassing  circumstances, 
are,  morally  speaking,  "cowards."  The  reader  must 
not  take  it  that  I  am  calling  him  a  coward  because  he 
stammers  —  I  use  the  term  only  so  far  as  his  talking  is 
concerned  and  not  in  its  literal  sense  as  ordinarily  used  ; 
yet  it  is  a  well-known  fact  among  authorities  on  stam- 
mering that  stammerers,  because  of  their  infirmity,  hesi- 
tate to  go  into  any  undertaking  fearing  failure.  Their 
feeling  of  uncertainty  concerning  their  talking  generates 
a  like  feeling  concerning  their  success  in  any  undertak- 
ing dependent  upon  their  talking,  and  as  there  are  but 
few  vocations  where  fluency  of  speech  is  not  called  into 
question  it  leaves  that  feeling  of  uncertainty  always  rest- 
ing in  the  mind  of  the  stammerer.  Having  from  his 
earliest  infancy  realized  that  others  could  say  those 
things  which  he  could  not,  and  because  of  this  do  those 
things  which  he  could  not  do,  he  naturally  learns  to  re- 
gard himself  as  an  unequal.  He  realizes  that  others 
have  had  bestowed  upon  them  by  God  and  by  Nature 
those  gifts  which  he  does  not  possess,  and  from  this 

II  — 161  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

unfortunate  circumstance  arises  within  the  mind  of 
nearly  every  stammerer  a  certain  feeling  or  sense  of  in- 
equality which  makes  the  man  afraid  to  enter  into  any 
undertaking  through  fear  of  failure,  and  it  is  in  this 
sense  that  I  say  he  is  a  "moral  coward."  The  time  for 
instantaneous  cures  in  stammering  has  long  since  passed 
and  intelligent  people  have  learned  that  it  is  necessary 
to  change  to  a  certain  degree  the  likes  and  dislikes  of 
the  man  to  reorganize  his  disposition  and  regulate  his 
actions,  if  we  must  have  the  best  kind  of  a  cure.  For 
this  reason  let  the  reader,  if  he  be  a  "moral  coward," 
commence  at  once  to  work  a  change  in  his  manner  of 
viewing  the  world.  Let  him  assume  a  different  attitude 
toward  everybody.  Let  him  act  on  the  aggressive,  not 
on  the  defensive,  which  way  has  too  long  characterized 
his  actions.  He  must  abandon  his  feeling  of  inequality 
and  substitute  instead  that  feeling  of  equality  which 
should  be  our  inheritance  and  our  birthright,  "All  men 
are  born  equal." 

To  straighten  to  a  perpendicular  position  a  tree  that 
has  grown  toward  the  west  wind,  the  horticulturist  will 
tell  you  to  bend  it  toward  the  east  in  order  that  nature 
may  straighten  it  up.  To  gain  a  feeling  of  equality  if 
you  now  possess  one  of  inequality,  begin  at  once  to 
court  a  feeling  of  superiority.  You  must  imagine  your- 
self not  only  the  equal  ©f  your  equals,  but  you  must, 
through  concentration  of  thought  and  education,  believe 
yourself  superior.  You  must  do  at  once  without  hesita- 
tion anything  that  falls  to  your  lot  to  perform.  Assume 
no  longer  toward  the  world  that  passive  attitude  which 
has  characterized  your  everyday  life  in  the  past — but 

— 162  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

with  buckled  shield  and  sword,  step  out  upon  the  bivouac 
of  life  prepared  for  the  conflict  equal  to  any  emergency 
and  with  the  brand  of  determination  and  defiance  stamped 
fairly  upon  your  brow.  This  alone  will  not  overcome 
your  difficulty  in  talking,  but  will  largely  overcome  those 
conditions  which  now  make  your  life  so  full  of  misery, 
and  with  continued  effort  in  one  direction  I  have  no 
doubt  but  it  will  largely  lessen  the  severity  of  many  cases 
of  this  type  of  stammering,  with  probable  chances  for 
complete  recovery. 

When  you  have  once  resolved  to  accomplish  your 
cure,  go  at  it  with  a  determined  effort,  and  "  never  give 
up  the  ship."  A  broken  vow  or  a  resolution  unkept 
leaves  you  in  ill  condition.  Better  that  you  do  not  make 
any  resolution  at  all  than  that  you  break  your  vow.  See 
to  it,  then,  that  when  you  have  said  to  yourself  and  your 
friends  that  "you  will  be  cured  of  stammering,"  that  you 
keep  this  promise  true,  never  relinquishing  your  deter- 
mination even  for  a  moment.  Many  persons  go  into 
every  undertaking  in  a  half-hearted  manner,  from  which 
it  is  little  wonder  that  few  are  successful.  A  great  many 
persons  suffering  from  stammering  go  about  trying  to 
rid  themselves  of  their  difficulty  in  about  the  same 
manner.  They  do  not  know  whether  they  will  be  suc- 
cessful in  getting  cured  or  not ;  somehow  or  other  they 
do  not  think  they  will ;  and  without  self-effort  on  their 
part,  it  always  ends  in  about  that  way.  Such  persons, 
under  the  direction  of  a  good  teacher  in  the  institution, 
when  made  to  work,  often  turn  out  to  be  the  best  kind  of 
cures;  but  it  requires  plenty  of  urging  and  lots  of  "mak- 
ing "  on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 

—  163  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

Persons  who  experience  greater  difficulty  in  talk- 
ing to  their  own  immediate  acquaintances  and  friends 
than  in  talking  before  strangers  are  more  characteristic 
in  their  manifestations  of  genuine  stammering  than  the 
class  of  the  opposite  type.     Dr.  Klencke  says : 

"  The  stammerer  usually  speaks  better  when  he  is 
forced  to  pay  attention  to  himself,"  and  adds  that  "he 
betrays  his  defect  when  careless,  but  by  the  action  of 
his  will  he  can  partly  or  wholly  overcome  his  difficulty." 

To  speak  with  the  greatest  possible  fluency  persons 
addicted  to  this  form  of  stammering  require  an  abun- 
dance of  mental  energy  of  the  will  which  they  manage  to 
summon  up  when  placed  under  trying  circumstances 
and  which  serves  to  co-ordinate  then  the  desire  for  ex- 
pression with  the  movements  necessary  for  harmonious 
action  of  the  speaking  organs.  This  energy  is  often- 
times generated  at  great  expense  of  fatigue  which  fol- 
lows immediately  afterward,  the  feeling  experienced 
after  the  mental  strain  has  subsided  being  much  the 
same  as  that  which  follows  the  use  of  stimulants.  Thou- 
sands of  my  readers  I  am  sure  have  experienced  this 
feeling  hundreds  of  times  and  know  what  a  depressing 
sensation  it  creates.  The  effort  is  usually  mental  but  is 
always  accompanied  by  a  corresponding  physical  effort 
which  consists  of  quickly  forcing  a  quantity  of  air  from 
the  lungs,  a  contraction  of  the  diaphragm  and  abdom- 
inal muscles  and  a  muscular  effort  of  the  entire  waist 
region  of  the  body  as  if  to  support  the  effort  of  the 
mind,  which  is  simultaneously  endeavoring  to  control 
the  tongue.  This  is  many  times  carried  to  excess  and 
to  such  an  extent  that  continued  effort,  even  though 

— 164  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

fluent  speech  follows,  results  in  a  fatiguing  sensation 
and  pain  in  the  diaphragmatic  region  and  in  the  abdo- 
men. Many  persons  who  stammer  are  subject  to  these 
pains,  which  though  not  acute  are  nevertheless  un- 
pleasant and  worrying.  The  writer  has  in  mind  cases 
of  this  form  of  stammering  where  the  effort  mentally 
and  physically  to  effect  utterance  resulted  in  prostration 
and  where  the  unfortunate  sufferer  was  subject  to  con- 
vulsions as  the  outcome  of  repeated  occurrences. 

The  reason  why  the  stammerer  is  able  to  control 
himself  in  the  presence  of  strangers  is  explained  by  the 
fact  that  he  can  control  himself  either  partially  or  wholly 
under  trying  circumstances  by  the  exercise  of  his  will 
power.  If  unable  to  do  so  it  is  characteristic  of  stutter- 
ing rather  than  stammering  but  there  are  many  persons 
who  suffer  from  both  ailments  at  one  and  the  same 
time.  Under  such  circumstances  or  when  the  contact 
is  with  strangers  the  desire  on  the  part  of  the  sufferer 
(naturally  one  of  concealment)  is  to  appear  well.  His 
pride  is  at  stake  and  he  realizes  that  the  opinion  of  his 
newly  formed  aquaintances  may  be  alterably  changed  if 
he  betrays  his  natural  defect  and  thus  he  exercises  all 
the  will  power  he  can  possibly  summon  up,  and  by  both 
mental  strain  and  physical  effort  manages  by  hook  or  by 
crook  by  avoiding  obstacles,  substituting  phrases,  and 
using  synonyms  to  avoid  all  difficulty  for  the  time  being. 
Indeed  he  may  not  under  such  circumstances  even  re- 
quire to  use  synonyms  but  may  be  able  to  talk  fluently 
and  without  interruption. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  this  same  person  in  con- 
versation  with    his    own    immediate    friends   may   be 

—  165  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

able  to  utter  but  few  words  without  his  impediment 
betraying  him.  This  phenomenon  calls  for  a  change  of 
condition  which  the  stammerer  must  bring  about  by  his 
own  efforts,  both  mentally  and  physically,  if  he  wishes  to 
obtain  relief.  The  fact  that  he  stammers  in  the  presence 
of  his  immediate  relatives  is  explained  by  the  circum- 
stance that  they  know  he  stammers.  There  is  nothing 
to  conceal  from  them.  His  pride  is  in  no  wise  effected 
by  their  knowledge  of  his  impediment  because  he  ap- 
preciates in  his  mind  the  fact  that  his  defect  draws  out 
their  love  and  sympathy  rather  than  ridicule.  He  is 
thus  off  his  guard  and  from  the  fact  that  he  does  not 
exercise  mental  energy  to  control  his  fluency  he  suffers 
in  consequence.  Let  him  use  the  same  caution  and  feel 
the  same  embarrassment  and  humiliation  when  convers- 
ing with  his  friends  that  he  does  before  strangers,  and 
he  will  experience  little  if  any  difficulty.  He  will  at 
least  experience  no  more  difficulty  than  before  newly 
formed  acquaintances. 

Let  him  say  to  his  mother  or  to  his  father,  "  I  prom- 
ise you  on  my  word  of  honor  that  I  will  try  to  never 
again  let  you  hear  me  stammer."  Let  him  then  keep 
his  promise.  Let  him  feel  it  a  disgrace  to  stammer, 
and  a  humiliation  even  in  the  presence  of  his  most  inti- 
mate acquaintances.  He  must  summon  to  his  aid  such 
unflinching  zeal  and  purpose  of  mind  as  will  not  allow 
him  even  in  the  presence  of  his  own  to  falter  for  a  mo- 
ment. Stammering  begets  stammering  and  he  must 
therefore  not  stammer. 

The  fatigue  which  I  have  described  both  of  mind 
and  body  as  the  result  of  excessive  mental  and  physical 

— 166  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

effort  may  be  largely  lessened  by  the  principle  of  relaxa- 
tion. I  do  not  mean  relaxation  in  the  generally  accepted 
meaning  of  the  term,  but  what  I  do  mean  is  relaxation 
from  excessive  mental  and  physical  effort,  without  re- 
laxing from  determination  to  surmount  all  difficulties. 
One  may  think  less  copiously  yet  with  concentration, 
and  one  may  infuse  determination  into  an  undertaking 
and  into  their  talking,  which  from  the  fact  that  the  latter 
consists  of  even  utterances  may  nevertheless  be  with  as 
much  resolution  of  purpose  as  though  effected  with  great 
effort  and  with  unsteady  purpose. 

A  correct  breathing  habit  will  largely  aid  in  accom- 
plishing the  desired  result,  inasmuch  as  the  effort  men- 
tally, as  already  explained,  is  accompanied  by  an  abnor- 
mal action  of  the  respiratory  apparatus.  The  stammerer 
usually  contracts  his  diaphragm  when  approaching  a 
word  difficult  of  utterance,  at  which  time  he  generally 
exhales  the  breath  with  which  he  should  fill  the  abdomi- 
nal portion  of  his  body  if  he  wishes  to  speak  well.  Deep 
inspiration  and  expansion  of  the  abdomen  should  be 
practiced  when  under  approaching  fear  of  stammering, 
when  the  diaphragm  would  otherwise  contract. 

In  any  case  of  stammering  a  general  building  up  of 
the  constitution  through  a  good  system  of  physical 
exercises,  having  as  its  aim  the  accomplishment  oA 
muscular  action  by  the  direction  of  the  effort  of  the 
mind,  will  do  much  to  aid  in  obtaining  satisfactory  results. 

One  singular  thing  about  some  persons  who  stam- 
mer, and  a  peculiarity  which  I  have  never  heard  dis- 
cussed, is  that  one  who  stammers  has  less  difficulty  in 
talking  to  a  person  who  is  like  afflicted  but  whose  im- 

— 167  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

pediment  is  more  manifested.  The  reason  for  this  is 
probably  due  to  the  fact  that  there  is  a  natural  inborn 
tendency  to  the  saying  that  "  misery  likes  company," 
but  when  the  company  is  the  more  miserable  the  ten- 
dency of  the  most  miserable  is  to  self-congratulation. 
In  this  there  is  no  doubt  engendered  a  feeling  of  confi- 
dence from  which  arises  fluency.  On  the  other  hand, 
persons  who  stammer  coming  in  contact  with  others 
similarly  afflicted,  but  to  a  lesser  degree,  usually  behave 
poorly.  The  converse  in  argument  that  applies  to  the 
first  named  peculiarity  will  probably  apply  here.  The 
feeling  of  satisfaction  of  human  nature  in  the  evil  of  joy 
at  others  misfortunes  is  offset  by  the  fact  that  their  mis- 
fortune is  the  lesser.  Why  were  others  not  afflicted  as 
badly  as  they  ?  Whether  these  are  true  solutions  to  the 
problem  is  for  the  reader  to  decide,  but  the  fact  remains 
that  with  but  few  exceptions  where  two  stammerers  meet 
in  conversation  it  increases  the  contortions  and  mani- 
festations for  one  and  lessens  the  difficulty  of  the  other. 
The  remedy  is  self-suggestive.  Let  each  congratulate 
himself  that  he  can  talk  at  all  and  that  there  are  others 
in  a  worse  predicament  than  he  and  it  may  lessen  the 
difficulty  for  both.  Let  each  imagine  that  he  is  superior 
as  it  may  be  due  to  the  feeling  of  inferiority  and  superi- 
ority that  one  has  difficulty  and  the  other  none.  Another 
peculiarity  among  certain  classes  of  stammerers  is  the 
circumstances  that  when  they  come  up  with  a  word  that 
causes  them  to  stammer,  and  when,  after  repeated  effort 
they  are  still  unable  to  effect  its  beginning,  they  find 
when  they  endeavor  to  write  the  word  for  the  purpose  of 
better  explanation,  having  written  upon  paper  the  first 

— 168  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

syllable  commencing  it,  they  are  at  once  without  further 
effort  and  without  finishing  the  writing  of  the  whole 
word,  able  to  enunciate  it  perfectly.  In  asking  a  class 
numbering  upwards  of  eighty  pupils  as  to  their  experi- 
ence in  this  matter  fully  25  per  cent,  held  up  their  hands 
as  having  had  similar  experiences.  This  is  a  common 
peculiarity  among  stammerers,  to  which  of  course  may 
be  exceptions,  and  there  may  be  many  who  have  never 
tried  the  experiment. 

Speaking  scientifically,  there  is  no  question  but  that 
a  physical  movement  accomplishes  a  mental  desire  and 
this  is  without  doubt  the  solution  to  the  problem.  The 
stammerer  is  not  lacking  in  desire  for  utterance,  but  in 
co-ordinating  his  desire  with  the  execution  or  act  itself. 
The  movement  of  the  pencil  upon  paper  of  itself  acts  as 
a  harmonizing  influence  and  serves  to  keep  back  the 
current  of  thought  which  otherwise  piles  up  in  such  rapid 
succession  that  the  organs  physically  are  unable  to 
execute  them.  It  requires  also  a  generating  influence  to 
move  into  harmonizing  action  the  organs  co-operating 
with  the  functions  of  the  brain  and  in  this  any  physical 
movement  is  an  aid.  This  is  shown  more  forcibly  in 
gesture  than  anywhere  else  where  physical  movements 
are  used  almost  entirely  as  a  means  for  accomplishing 
mental  desires.  Another  peculiarity  of  the  same  cir- 
cumstance is  the  fact  that  after  great  effort  once  having 
said  the  word,  the  stammerer  can  repeat  it  without  diffi- 
culty. If  it  caused  him  no  difficulty  to  say  it  in  the  be- 
ginning when  asked  to  repeat  it,  nine  times  out  of  ten 
he  cannot  do  so.  The  scientific  explanation  for  this 
phenomena  may  be  in  the  circumstances  that  in  the  first 

— 169  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

instance  confidence  in  his  ability  to  utter  the  word  having 
been  established  at  the  cost  of  great  effort  he  realizes 
that  he  can  say  the  word,  and  can  then  repeat  it  as  often 
as  he  wishes  to. 

On  the  other  hand,  having  unconsciously  uttered  a 
word  without  difficulty,  his  attention  being  called  to  it 
when  asked  to  repeat  it,  he  is  unable  to  do  so  owing  to 
the  fact  that  he  at  once  loses  confidence  in  his  ability 
to  utterance.  After  great  effort,  having  temporarily 
mastered  it,  he  finds  he  can  repeat  it  again  and  again 
without  further  difficulty.  Were  this  temporarily  estab- 
lished confidence  to  be  of  a  lasting  nature  it  would  re- 
quire only  a  succession  of  efforts  and  fighting  in  order 
to  permanently  master  every  word  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. Unfortunately  for  the  stammerer  his  confidence 
is  of  the  thermometer  style,  it  rises  and  falls,  and  like 
the  barometer,  it  changes  with  the  atmosphere  and  en- 
vironments in  which  it  is  placed. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  among  persons  who  stam- 
mer that  I  have  touched  upon  briefly,  viz.,  having 
unconsciously  uttered  a  word  without  difficulty,  his 
attention  being  called  to  it,  when  asked  to  repeat 
it  the  stammerer  is  generally  unable  to  do  so.  Ask 
him  what  time  of  day  it  is  and  he  replies  10  o'clock. 
"What did  you  say?"  you  ask,  and  he  is  unable  to  effect 
an  utterance  or  to  say  a  word.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that 
fifty  per  cent,  of  my  readers  have  experienced  this  same 
difficulty,  but  under  different  conditions.  The  explana- 
tion for  this  peculiarity  is  probably  in  the  fact  that  the 
stammerer  prearranges  for  himself  mental  pictures  of 
words  or  sounds  which,  when  he  tries  to  effect  their  utter- 

— 170  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ance,  cause  him  great  difficulty.  These  mental  pictures 
are  sometimes  of  a  permanent  character  and  sometimes 
are  only  temporary.  Some  persons  who  stammer  carry 
around  in  their  mind  a  whole  vocabulary  of  sounds  and 
letters  upon  which  they  know  they  will  surely  stammer, 
while  other  words  known  to  them  as  synonyms  cause 
them  not  the  slightest  difficulty.  It  is  largely  owing  to 
the  mental  picture  that  the  stammerer  constantly  sees 
before  him  of  word  difficulties  that  he  becomes  invent- 
ive, and  it  is  sometimes  surprising  the  alertness  with 
which  some  such  persons  manage  to  conceal  their  im- 
pediment. For  instance,  in  such  a  case  as  that  of  the 
man  who  was  asked  what  time  of  day  it  was  and  then 
requested  to  repeat  his  answer,  a  stammerer  ever  on  the 
alert  to  avoid  word  pictures  would  invent  some  means 
to  avoid  stammering  on  the  repetition  of  his  answer. 
He  might  deliberately  take  out  his  watch  again  and 
reply  that  it  was  "a  few  minutes  to  io  o'clock,"  which 
would  be  easier  for  him  than  a  direct  answer,  "Ten 
o'clock."  He  might  turn  the  face  of  his  watch  to  the 
questioner,  in  which  case  he  could  more  readily  repeat 
his  answer  when  he  understood  that  it  was  not  necessary 
to  do  so.  There  is  no  telling  what  he  might  do,  but 
rest  assured,  such  persons  are  quick,  and  always  ready 
to  "  beat  the  wolf  around  the  bush."  Mental  pictures  of 
difficulty  often  present  themselves  without  warning,  and 
are  sometimes  uncertain  in  that  they  appear  and  vanish. 
One  moment  the  stammerer  believes  in  his  ability  to 
utter  a  word,  and  were  he  to  try  he  could  do  so ;  the 
next  instant  the  hallucination  returns,  and  try  as  he  may 
he  is  unable  to  utter  the  word.     The  greater  the  effort 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  less  he  can  say  it.  Sometimes  the  hallucination  is 
lasting,  with  the  result  that  he  is  unable  to  say  the  word 
under  any  circumstances  without  great  effort,  when 
temporarily  •  he  may  be  able  to  repeat  it,  only  to  find 
that  the  picture  of  difficulty  returns  when  his  mind  has 
settled  back  in  a  state  of  repose.  Word  pictures  are 
likely  to  change  in  the  mind  of  the  stammerer.  A  man 
who  has  trouble  on  words  commencing  with  closed  con- 
sonants may  lose  thought  and  habit  entirely  of  difficulty 
on  such  sounds,  only  to  find,  however,  that  his  trouble 
has  been  transferred  to  continuous  sounds.  Labials  may 
present  themselves  as  obstacles  difficult  of  utterance, 
and  may  entirely  disappear,  only  to  be  substituted  by 
gutturals,  which  may  in  turn  give  way  to  vowels,  and  so 
down  through  the  whole  vocabulary  of  sounds  and  syl- 
lables. There  is  nearly  always,  however,  a  balance  of 
power  maintained,  or  in  other  words,  when  the  difficulty 
disappears  on  one  sound  it  is  almost  always  sure  to 
manifest  itself  on  another.  Cases  of  stammering  are  so 
unlike  that  it  is  difficult  without  knowing  the  particular 
temperament  and  disposition  of  the  sufferer  to  lay  down 
any  set  rule  as  a  remedy  that  will  apply  alike  in  all 
cases,  because  what  might  prove  valuable  advice  in  one 
case  might  serve  only  to  aggravate  another.  The  diffi- 
culty, however,  inasmuch  as  it  is  both  mental  and 
physical,  can  be  combated  only  by  a  physical  and  men- 
tal means.  The  correct  position  of  the  organs  of  articu- 
lation must  be  studied,  the  application  of  certain 
principles  and  the  results.  If  the  difficulty  is  manifested 
in  the  gluing  together  of  the  tongue  and  upper  gum, 
as  is  the  case  in  stammering  upon  the  letter  "  t,"  the 

— 172  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

results  must  be  at  once  apparent  to  the  observer,  viz., 
that  the  greater  the  effort  to  effect  utterance  under  such 
conditions,  the  less  able  we  are  to  accomplish  our  aim. 
From  this  must  come  the  self-suggested  physical  remedy 
of  no  effort.  The  organs  must  be  relaxed  and  the  be- 
ginning of  the  word  effected  with  a  whispered  utterance. 
Mentally  the  course  or  channel  of  our  thought  must  be 
diverted.  The  stammerer  must  in  some  manner  or  by 
some  means  dispel  from  his  mind  the  hallucination  of 
fear  that  grasps  hold  of  him,  and  in  this  the  concentra- 
tion of  his  mind  upon  the  manner  of  his  utterance  will 
serve  largely  as  an  instrument  of  accomplishment.  He 
must  not  allow  his  mind  to  dwell  upon  "what"  he  is 
going  to  say,  but  rather  upon  "how"  he  is  going  to  say 
it.  This  "how"  he  is  going  to  say  it  is  of  course  the 
problem  that  all  stammerers  are  trying  to  solve.  I  have 
thus  pointed  out  a  means  toward  the  easier  enunciation 
of  words  commencing  with  the  letter  "  t,"  and  have  sug- 
gested the  remedy  of  no  effort  as  contrasted  with  exces- 
sive effort.  This  can  be  accomplished  through  the 
whispered  utterance  and  the  diversion  of  the  trend  of 
thought  above  suggested,  viz.,  concentrating  the  mind 
upon  the  manner  of  utterance  rather  than  upon  the 
word  you  desire  to  utter.  The  whispered  utterance  is 
of  itself  the  significant  to  the  mind  of  the  stammerer  of 
relaxation,  as  in  the  whisper  we  have  the  embodiment 
of  nothing  excessive.  It  requires  but  little  effort  and 
but  little  energy  to  perform  a  whispered  utterance.  A 
dying  man  can  whisper  when  he  can  no  longer  vocalize, 
snowing  that  but  little  stimulus  is  necessary  to  the  per- 
formance of  the  act.     I  do  not  wish  any  reader  to  take 

~i73  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

from  my  writing  that  I  advocate  whispering  as  a  substi- 
tute for  vocalization,  but  what  I  do  wish  to  imply  is  that 
vocalization  should  (in  cases  where  the  difficulty  is 
manifested  in  excessive  effort)  be  preceded  by  the 
whispered  utterance.  Many  will  wonder  what  I  mean 
when  I  speak  of  a  whispered  utterance.  A  whispered 
utterance,  according  to  my  usage  of  the  term,  implies  a 
word  the  beginning  of  which  is  a  prolonged  whisper, 
followed  of  course  by  vocalization.  Every  word  spoken 
has  a  certain  degree  of  the  whispered  utterance  attached 
to  it,  which  is  either  prefixed  or  affixed.  The  stammerer 
should  endeavor  to  prolong  the  whispered  or  breath 
portion  of  his  words  and  avoid,  by  correct  principles  of 
physically  applying  his  organs  of  articulation,  the  hard 
and  difficult  letters  likely  to  cause  him  difficulty.  The 
remedy  for  words  commencing  with  the  letter  "t"is 
suggestive  of  similar  remedial  means  for  other  letters, 
but  through  other  channels.  We  must  in  every  case 
search  out  the  manifestations  and  apply  the  remedy 
accordingly.  Word  pictures  and  mental  hallucinations 
of  difficulty  in  enunciation  can  be  overcome  largely  after 
the  manner  above  suggested,  but  it  is  better  to  gain 
first  a  thorough  knowledge  of  other  exercises  necessary 
to  the  cure,  and  also  an  idea  of  the  analysis  of  sounds. 
It  is  not  the  knowledge  of  any  one  principle  to  over- 
come stammering  that  effects  the  cure,  nor  is  it  the 
knowledge  of  all  principles,  but  rather  the  knowledge 
of  all  principles  and  their  practical  application. 


—  174  — 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  STAMMERERS 

Contemplating  Treatment  and  for  Parents  or 
Guardians  of  Stammering  Children 

THE  MISERY  OF  STAMMERING 


Mankind,  while  superior  to  all  other  living  creation, 
and  enjoying  the  richest  blessings  of  a  merciful  God,  is 
at  the  same  time  heir  to  the  most  grievous  and  terrible 
afflictions  that  are  visited  unto  the  animal  kingdom. 
Although  the  blessings  exceed  the  afflictions  by  a  thou- 
sand fold,  yet  how  often  we  forget  the  many  blessings 
in  brooding  over  our  afflictions.  The  blind,  the  deaf, 
the  mute,  the  maimed,  while  compelled  to  fight  life's 
battles  under  grave  difficulties,  have  reason  to  be  thank- 
ful beyond  expression,  when  they  note  the  condition  of 
the  imbecile.  So  highly  do  we  prize  the  power  to  see, 
hear,  and  be  heard,  that  rather  than  be  deprived  of  it, 
we  would  prefer  death  itself.  Imagine,  then,  the  con- 
dition of  the  imbecile,  who,  though  possessing  all  the 
necessities  of  a  perfect  physical  development,  lacks  the 
intellect,  the  mind,  the  reasoning  faculties,  the  absence 
of  which  sinks  man  beneath  the  lowest  brute.     If  a 

—  175  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

man  is  blind  he  soon  realizes  how  useless  is  an  attempt 
to  see.  To  the  deaf  sound  is  unknown,  hence  he  does 
not  understand  the  severity  of  his  affliction,  while  the 
mute  is  always  resigned  to  silence,  and,  therefore,  in  re- 
ality knows  not  the  value  of  speech.  Thus,  in  this  con- 
nection, an  affliction  that  is  absolute  is  more  merciful 
than  one  that  is  but  partial.  If  there  were  intervals 
when  the  blind  could  see,  the  deaf  hear,  and  the  mute 
talk,  their  quiet  and  peace  of  mind  would  be  destroyed 
forever.  Such  is  the  condition  of  the  man  who  possesses 
the  power  of  speech,  yet  cannot  talk.  His  intellect  is 
keen,  his  reasoning  clear,  his  vocal  organs  perfect,  yet 
he  is  wholly  or  partially  unable  to  vocalize  his  thoughts 
and  produce  intelligible  speech.  He  is  bound,  as  it 
were,  hand  and  foot,  by  the  most  cruel,  cutting,  and 
galling  bonds  that  ever  restricted  or  impaired  the  hopes 
and  aspirations  of  an  ambitious  man.  He  is  a  victim 
of  that  despotic  affliction  which  has  ruled  and  ruined 
many  lives,  and  is  known  to  the  world  as  stammering. 
His  condition  invites  the  sympathy,  aye,  the  pity,  of 
his  fellow-beings  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  un- 
fettered speech.  That  sympathy  is  usually  extended 
in  the  kindest  manner,  although  the  poor  stammerer  is 
sometimes  compelled  to  suffer  from  the  ridicule  and 
derision  of  those  who  in  intellect  and  nobleness  of  char- 
acter are  not,  and  probably  never  will  be,  his  equal. 
But  real  sympathy,  such  as  is  inspired  by  a  direct  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  the  affliction,  the  vast  majority  of 
people  are  utterly  unprepared  to  give. 

We  read  to-day  of  a  famine  in  India,  or  of  atrocious 
deeds  perpetrated  in  Armenia,  and  we  sympathize  with 

—  176  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  unfortunate  beings  who  are  thus  compelled  to  suffer, 
but  had  there  been  a  period  in  our  lives  when  we 
were  compelled  to  stand  helplessly  by  and  see  our 
loved  ones  perish  one  by  one,  from  the  want  of  food, 
or  fall  by  the  knife  of  the  barbarous  Turk,  our 
sympathy  would  increase  tenfold  and  be  of  a  deeper, 
more  tender  nature.  So  it  is  with  the  stammerer.  He 
receives  true  heartfelt  sympathy  only  from  those  who 
have  likewise  suffered,  and  who  have  experienced  within 
their  being,  their  mind,  their  very  soul,  that  patient 
longing,  that  mental  craving,  that  burning  desire  to 
speak,  to  converse,  to  be  understood,  to  possess  the 
power  and  ability  to  give  intelligent  sound  and  expres- 
sion to  those  thoughts  which  for  years  have  remained 
helplessly  imprisoned  within  their  brain,  of  but  little 
use  to  themselves,  and  entirely  lost  to  their  fellow- 
men. 

Those  who  possess  perfect  freedom  of  speech,  who 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  can  give  utter- 
ance to  their  thoughts  are  incompetent  to  realize  the 
suffering  of  the  unfortunate  stammerer.  They  know 
not  the  agony  of  mind,  the  mental  torture,  the  terrible 
misery  that  he  is  compelled  to  constantly  undergo. 
His  inability  to  give  verbal  expression  to  his  thoughts 
naturally  leads  to  the  opinion  among  his  associates  that 
the  affliction  has  not  only  fettered  his  speech  but  his 
intellect  also.  Thus,  to  the  embarrassment  of  a  speech 
defect  is  added  the  unenviable  reputation  of  a  weakened 
intellect.  In  this  respect,  however,  a  greater  injustice 
could  not  be  done  the  stammerer.  To  be  sure,  his 
education  is  neglected,  for  in  school  he  is  the  laughing- 

-177- 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

stock  of  the  class,  even  his  attendance,  in  many  cases, 
being  made  compulsory  by  his  parents.  A  college 
course,  with  his  defective  speech,  has  no  charms  for 
him.  And  so,  year  after  year,  a  naturally  keen  and 
brilliant  intellect  remains  inactive  and  undeveloped. 

To  the  average  person,  the  presence  of  a  severe 
stammerer  is  especially  disagreeable.  Therefore  he 
suffers  from  a  social  ostracism  and  is  benefited  by  none 
of  those  refining  influences  which  always  attend  an 
association  with  the  cultured  and  educated.  Conse- 
quently he  is  oftentimes  rough  and  uncouth  in  manner, 
while  inwardly  possessing  the  true  instincts  of  a  noble 
man. 

In  the  business  world,  the  stammerer  rarely  enjoys 
a  successful  career.  The  same  obstacle  that  prevents 
his  entry  into  society,  closes  to  him  the  door  of  pros- 
perity. A  business  man  must  be  congenial;  the  stam- 
merer can  not  be. 

From  the  literary  field  he  is  also  barred  by  that 
same,  seemingly  insurmountable  barrier.  He  is  ham- 
pered in  whatever  he  undertakes,  be  it  of  a  social,  busi- 
ness, or  literary  nature.  In  the  face  of  these  difficulties 
and  failures  which  attend  his  every  effort  toward 
advancement,  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  stammerer  loses 
hope,  energy,  and  ambition?  Life  to  him  has  no  pleas- 
ures; it  is  merely  existence.  His  past  is  lost,  his 
present  a  failure,  and  his  future  a  hopeless  blank. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  stammerer  until 
within  the  last  few  years.  But  now  the  light  and  prog- 
ress of  the  nineteenth  century  has  penetrated  the  dark 
clouds  which  overshadowed  his  life,  and  made  it  possi- 

—  178  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ble  for  him  to  surmount  the  barriers,  gain  the  level,  and 
run  the  great  race  of  life,  on  an  equal  footing  with  all 
mankind. 


STAMMERING   A   HABIT 

With  many  persons  stammering  is  purely  a  habit, 
oftentimes  the  result  of  lack  of  proper  training  in 
youth. 

The  first  attempts  at  speech  made  by  children  often- 
times reveal  slight  indications  of  stuttering;  but  not 
generally  before  the  individual  becomes  completely 
aware  of  his  defect  with  all  its  horror,  do  the  parents 
try  to  obtain  for  their  child  relief.  The  little  prattler, 
instead  of  being  continually  corrected  for  its  imperfect 
articulation,  is  oftentimes  encouraged  in  its  baby-talk  by 
its  parents  and  friends  until  it  becomes  second  nature 
for  it  to  mispronounce  and  misarticulate  words  and  syl- 
lables. The  writer  has  known  children  of  from  ten  to 
fifteen  years  of  age  who  had  never  entirely  forgotten 
their  baby-talk,  and  slight  traces  of  it  was  oftentimes 
noticeable  in  their  conversation. 

Many  of  these  encouraged  baby-talkers  have  turned 
out  to  be  stammerers.  This  way  of  dealing  with  the 
trouble  is  equally  as  wrong  as  it  would  be  to  postpone 
to  a  later  period  the  necessary  orthopedic  treatment  of 
a  child  tending  to  bodily  deformity.  As  the  child 
grows,  the  evil,  instead  of  decreasing,  increases,  even- 
tually leaving  its  victim  a  stutterer  or  stammerer  of 
the  most  severe  type.  Thus  what  was  at  first,  by  the 
parents  of  the  child,  encouraged,  becomes  to  it,  later  on, 

—  179  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

second  nature,  and  oftentimes  a  bad  and  disgusting 
habit. 

Many  parents  answer  their  children  in  this  same 
baby-talk.  Thus  the  child  is  taught  and  confirmed  that 
its  own  mistakes  are  correct,  and  gradually  grows  into 
that  evil  manner  of  talking,  whence  stammering  and 
stuttering  arise. 

It  is  surprising  with  what  fidelity  a  child  will  imitate 
whatever  it  sees  or  hears.  Children  hardly  able  to  talk 
oftentimes  surprise  their  parents  with  their  knowledge 
and  actions.  Therefore  it  becomes  all  parents  to 
exert  the  utmost  carefulness  in  the  training  of  their 
children,  and  to  watch  for  and  correct  any  tendency  to 
a  faulty  or  imperfect  articulation. 

Never  strike  or  scold  a  child  for  defective  utterance. 
A  spirit  of  firmness,  with  nothing  to  startle  or  excite, 
but  rather  with  a  tendency  to  kindness,  will  be  found  to 
be  of  much  value.  Canon  Kingsley  says :  "  Fear  of 
bodily  punishment,  or  even  capriciousness  in  his  teacher's 
temper  and  rules,  will  surely  confirm  the  bad  habit.  If 
he  is  by  any  means  kept  in  a  state  of  terror,  shame,  or 
even  anxiety,  then  this  stammerer  will  grow  worse  and 
worse  as  he  grows  older." 

Ask  the  child  to  slowly  and  carefully  repeat  what 
has  given  it  difficulty  to  utter ;  if  it  be  a  request  do  not 
grant  it  until  the  child  has  done  its  best  to  ask  for  it 
correctly,  always  speaking  to  it  in  a  manner  to  indicate 
that  you  are  positive.  A  splendid  practice,  and  one 
which  gives  noticeable  results  almost  immediately,  is  to 
teach  to  the  child  some  simple  rhyme  or  story,  have 
it  repeat  after  you   correctly,  exactly  what  you   say, 

— 180 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

being  always  very  careful  not  to  talk  in  an  affected  or 
exaggerated  manner. 

If  the  child  is  quite  young,  teach  it  first  to  pronounce 
correctly  each  letter  of  the  alphabet.  Many  children 
attempt  to  speak  upon  but  scarcely  any  breath,  first 
expelling  nearly  all  the  air  from  their  lungs ;  they  then 
begin  to  give  utterance  to  partially  formed  words  and 
syllables.  Such  should  be  taught  to  carefully  inhale 
before  attempting  to  speak,  and  never  permitted  to  be- 
gin a  sentence  in  a  quick  or  hurried  manner.  Let  the 
proper  time  be  given  to  the  development  of  the  lungs 
of  children,  and  much  of  the  tendency  that  exists  at  the 
present  day  to  pulmonary  troubles  would  vanish,  and 
there  would  be  more  bright,  merry  voices,  and,  conse- 
quently, happier  hearts  in  our  schools  and  homes. 
Teach  the  child  the  proper  mode  of  breathing,  the 
correct  manner  of  articulating,  and  much  of  the  sorrow 
and  distress,  the  result  of  stammering,  would  give  way 
to  cheerfulness,  and  happier  lives  would  be  the  result. 
The  old  proverb,  "A  stitch  in  time  saves  nine,"  is  espe- 
cially applicable  here. 

The  following  is  an  extract  clipped  from  an  article 
written  by  Dr.  Morrell  McKenzie,  for  the  Popular  Sci- 
ence Monthly:  "  It  is  hardly  an  exaggeration  to  say 
that  the  training  of  the  voice  should  begin  almost  with 
the  cradle.  I  do  not,  of  course,  mean  to  say  that  a 
baby  should  be  taught  to  squall  according  to  rule,  or 
that  the  prattle  of  children  should  be  made  a  laborious 
task,  but  I  wish  to  insist  on  the  importance  of  surround- 
ing the  child,  as  soon  as  it  begins  to  lisp,  with  persons 
who  speak  well." 

— 181  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

THE  MIMIC 

"All  languages,"  old  Roger  Ascham  says,  "both 
learned  and  mother  tongues,  are  begotten  and  gotten 
solely  by  imitation,  for  as  ye  used  to  hear,  so  ye  learn 
to  speak ;  if  ye  hear  no  other,  ye  speak  not  yourself ; 
and  whom  ye  only  hear,  of  them  ye  only  learn." 

Quintilian  says:  "Before  all,  let  the  nurses  speak 
properly ;  the  boy  will  hear  them  first,  and  will  try  to 
shape  his  words  by  imitating  them."  This  applies  chiefly 
to  the  pronunciation  and  correct  use  of  words;  but 
much  might  also  be  done  for  the  right  management 
of  the  voice,  if  every  child  could  grow  up  among  peo- 
ple who  speak  well. 

Have  you  ever  mocked  or  imitated  the  habits  and 
contortions  of  a  stammerer? 

Beware,  lest  you  also  are  made  to  carry  the  yoke ! 

It  seems  a  severe  but  a  just  punishment,  that  those 
who  hold  up  their  fellow-men  to  ridicule  because  of  their 
infirmities  are  oftentimes  similarly  afflicted.  A  young 
lady  who  applied  to  me  for  relief  not  long  since  broke 
down  and  shed  tears  when  she  told  me  she  had  been 
punished  because  she  mocked  a  person  who  was  afflicted 
in  the  same  manner.  Many  applications  for  admission 
to  my  Institution  have  been  accompanied  by  letters  that 
told  the  same  sad  and  pitiful  story:  "I  acquired  the 
habit  by  mocking." 

Children  especially,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  many 
grown  persons,  having  witnessed  some  peculiar  type  of 
stammering  or  stuttering,  which,  to  them,  appears  laugh- 
able, set  about  to  imitate  the  poor  unfortunate  who  has 

—  182  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

unluckily  crossed  their  path,  and  to  their  sorrow  many- 
such  mimics  find  that  when  they  wish  to  discontinue  the 
habit,  the  monster,  with  all  its  horrors,  has  securely 
fastened  its  talons  into  their  flesh,  not  to  be  easily 
shaken  off. 

Take  my  advice,  then,  if  you  have  been  habitually 
mocking  the  stammerer, —  stop  it,  and  stop  it  at  once. 
The  poor  unfortunate  victim,  the  target  of  your  jest, 
has  already  enough  to  suffer  without  bearing  the  taunts 
and  ridicule  of  inhuman  scoffers. 


STAMMERING  A  DISEASE 

That  stammering,  with  many  persons,  is  a  disease, 
is  no  longer  a  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those  who  have 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  subject.  Dr.  Raphael 
Cohen  cites  the  case  of  one  family  where  stammering 
was  transmitted  through  four  generations,  the  mal- 
ady usually  developing  between  the  second  and  fifth 
year,  the  affliction  commencing  with  a  repetition  of 
syllables  and  words  —  at  first  seldom,  then  often,  until 
it  broke  out  in  all  its  uncontrollable  force.  This  type 
of  stammering  has  previously  been  considered  by 
others  incurable.  Eminent  physicians  and  specialists 
both  in  this  country  and  abroad,  have  been  utterly  un- 
able to  afford  any  relief  to  the  unfortunate  stammerer 
who  was  unlucky  enough  to  inherit  his  difficulty. 

Notwithstanding  the  failure  hitherto  to  afford  relief 
to  such  cases,  a  careful  glance  over  the  many  letters  we 
have  received  will  at  once  convince  the  reader  that  the 
closing  of  the  nineteenth  century  has  revealed  to  the 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

world,  among  its  many  other  inventions  and  discoveries, 
a  means  for  the  curing  of  stammering  and  stuttering 
equally  adapted  to  and  effective  in  each  and  every  case, 
from  the  mildest  type  to  the  most  severe,  the  contor- 
tions of  which  are  oftentimes  painful  to  witness,  and 
disgusting  beyond  description. 

STAMMERING  THE  RESULT  OF  DISEASE 

Stammering  with  many  persons  is  the  result  of 
eruptive  disease,  such  as  scarlatina,  smallpox,  and 
other  kindred  disorders ;  it  may  be  the  result  of  ex- 
ternal injuries,  sudden  fright,  or  any  violent  nerve  or 
brain  trouble  may  cause  it;  in  nearly  every  such  case, 
however,  the  afflicted  individual  previously  possessed 
a  weak  enforcing  power  of  the  will  over  the  organs  of 
utterance.  Very  rarely  is  stammering  caused  by  any 
organic  defect.  In  a  series  of  six  hundred  cases,  care- 
fully investigated  by  Columbat,  there  was  not  one  case 
of  stammering  caused  by  malformation  of  the  organs. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CHILD  STAMMERING 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  stammering  obtains  a 
bad  influence  in  children.  It  is  detrimental  both  to 
the  stammerer  himself  and  also  to  his  young  asso- 
ciates with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Innumerable 
illustrations  could  be  made  in  support  of  this  state- 
ment. Children  are  more  likely  to  mimic  than  grown 
persons,  in  fact,  they  learn  to  talk  almost  wholly  by 
imitation  and   by  observation,  and   nothing  seems  to 

—  184  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

impress  itself  more  forcibly  upon  their  imagination  than 
the  antics  of  the  stammerer.  In  the  large  majority  of 
cases  we  have  found  that  persons  addicted  to  stammering 
are  of  an  extremely  sensitive  and  nervous  disposition. 
This  nervousness  is  usually  accompanied  with  a  weak- 
ened constitution,  which  usually  becomes  more  fragile 
as  the  stammerer  advances  in  years  If  stammering 
children  could  be  trained  for  the  correction  of  their  de- 
fect they  would  as  they  advanced  in  years  become 
as  strong  and  as  robust  as  other  persons,  but  with  their 
affliction  constantly  in  their  minds  and  the  effect  that 
stammering  has  upon  the  nervous  system  if  neglected, 
these  children,  which  otherwise  would  be  strong, 
healthy  men  and  women,  become  physically  unfit  for 
anything  more  than  the  ordinary  walks  of  life.  Re- 
ferring again  to  the  effect  that  association  with  stam- 
merers may  have  upon  persons  who  do  not  suffer  from 
stammering,  we  know  of  hundreds  of  cases  of  stammer- 
ing due  entirely  to  child  association  and  mimicry. 

Keep  your  child  away  from  stammering  children 
and  especially  keep  him  away  from  a  stammering 
parent  or  guardian.  There  is  no  doubt  that  stammer- 
ing has  a  deleterious  effect  upon  not  only  the  victim 
himself,  but  also  upon  other  children  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  The  best  age  at  which  to  treat  a 
child  for  stammering  is  as  young  as  it  can  intelligently 
understand  the  necessary  exercises  and  at  the  same 
time  realize  the  necessity  for  a  cure. 


—  185  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


WHEN  TO  COMMENCE  TREATMENT 

While  the  great  number  of  cases  we  have  treated 
has  proved  to  us  and  to  others  that  at  no  stage  have  we 
been  unable  to  successfully  combat  the  difficulty,  yet 
persistency  in  the  habit  renders  it  more  difficult  to  bring 
the  organs  back  to  their  normal  condition.  The  longer 
we  continue  any  habit,  the  more  difficult  it  becomes  to 
stop  it,  and  this  especially  is  applicable  to  the  subject 
in  question.  For  this  reason  no  person  should  deny 
himself  or  herself  of  the  privilege  available  to  recover 
their  speech  at  as  early  a  date  as  possible. 


CLASS  EXERCISE 

From  four  to  six  hours  are  set  aside  daily  for  class 
exercise,  when  pupils  are  expected,  unless  satisfactory 
excuse  is  given,  to  attend  diligently  to  the  work  which  it 
is  their  duty  to  perform.  The  exercises  are  both  pleas- 
ant and  profitable,  and  are  varied  to  suit  the  different 
forms  of  speech  impediment  with  which  we  have  to 
deal. 

Our  treatment  is  adapted  to  the  indications  and 
directed  against  the  manifestation  according  to  the 
requirements  of  each  particular  case. 

We  never  administer  drugs  nor  medicine  of  any  kind 
to  our  pupils  nor  apply  electricity  in  any  form  in  con- 
nection with  our  treatment. 

Much  of  our  success  is  due  to  the  natural  means  we 
employ  in  overcoming  this  unnatural  difficulty. 

— 186  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

The  permanency  of  our  cures  we  attribute  to  the 
physical  and  mental  development  of  the  pupil,  notice- 
able from  the  beginning  of  treatment. 

These  exercises  are  not  only  valuable  as  an  auxiliary 
means,  but  also  open  the  way  and  lay  the  foundation 
for  a  lifelong  cure.  The  mental  influences  become 
regulated,  the  will  strengthened,  and  the  whole  organism 
apparently  transformed  into  the  awakening  of  a  new 
individuality. 

THE  RESULT  OF  STAMMERING 

Separated  by  his  affliction  and  infirmity  from  society 
and  companionship,  the  poor,  unfortunate  stammerer  is 
driven  to  the  solitude  of  his  own  unhappy  contempla- 
tion. 

With  many  stammerers  life  is  an  attempt  with  but 
little  success.  In  their  effort  to  succeed  they  are  con- 
tinually kept  in  a  state  of  fear  and  anxiety.  How  many 
pillows  have  been  saturated  with  tears,  every  drop  an 
appeal  for  free  speech?  How  many  hearts  have  longed 
for  the  day  to  come  when  humanity  would  be  released 
from  this  woeful  curse? 

This  constant  strain  upon  the  mind  and  nerves  rap- 
idly consumes  vitality.  The  boy,  vigorous  as  a  child, 
oftentimes  finds  himself  a  physical  and  nervous  wreck 
about  the  time  he  should  be  developing  into  a  magnifi- 
cent specimen  of  manhood.  The  fact  that  he  stammers 
is  never  out  of  his  mind ;  thus  he  realizes  that  others 
have  bestowed  upon  them  by  nature  gifts  that  he  has 
not,  and  gradually  it  becomes  second  nature  for  him  to 

—  187  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

regard  himself  as  an  unequal.  The  ambition  which 
should  arouse  us  all  to  action  in  our  youth  in  him  is 
dormant.  Sooner  or  later  this  vital  force  that  is  being 
gradually  undermined  perishes,  and  the  victim  awakens 
to  find  himself  prostrated  with  grief  over  his  sad  condi- 
tion. The  mental  strain  in  some  cases,  the  result  of 
stammering,  is  something  awful.  Many  severe  cases 
develop  to  such  a  degree  as  to  cause  convulsions. 
Persons  so  afflicted  oftentimes  lose  their  minds  entirely, 
a  fact  which  statistics  prove  not  infrequently  happens. 

THE  UNFORTUNATE 

There  stands  a  person  whose  face  is  physically 
drawn  out  of  shape.  His  mental  faculties  are  warped. 
He  is  not  a  mute,  but  still  he  cannot  speak.  His 
thoughts  are  crippled  and  confused.  To  all  appear- 
ances he  is  a  man,  but  if  we  knew  him  well  we  would 
find  that  in  many  things  he  is  but  a  child.  The  persons 
who  understand  his  peculiarities  are  few  and  his  sym- 
pathizers are  equally  rare.  His  strange  silence  and 
timid  actions  lower  him  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow- 
men.  The  sweet  privilege  of  social  enjoyment  is 
unknown  to  him.  Every  undertaking  he  enters  into 
is  abandoned  through  gloomy  forebodings  of  failure. 
His  thoughts,  denied  the  liberty  of  oral  expression,  be- 
come as  stagnant  and  unreliable  as  his  manner  of  acting. 
His  countenance  bears  a  piteous  but  repulsive  appear- 
ance and  is  indicative  of  a  long  and  fierce  battle  of 
successive  failures.  His  consolation  is  the  ridicule  and 
cruel  impatience  of  innumerable  mimics,  who  ape  him 

— 188  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

at  every  opportunity.  At  last,  pressing  deeper  into  his 
flesh  the  poisoned  arrows  of  his  terrible  infirmity,  his 
burden  of  sorrow  crushes  him  to  the  earth. 

THE   HOPEFUL  SIDE   OF  STAMMERING 

While  the  stammerer  has  much  to  be  sorrowful  over, 
nevertheless,  if  he  will  only  look  around  him  and  ob- 
serve the  many  other  ills  to  which  human  flesh  is  heir, 
he  will  find  much  consolation  in  the  fact  that  there  are 
others  who  are  suffering  from  greater  afflictions  than  he 
is. 

Is  not  blindness  worse  than  stammering?  To  be 
deprived  of  the  beautiful  in  nature ;  to  never  know  the 
expression  of  the  human  countenance;  to  be  an  object 
of  dependency  and  a  burden  to  others,  led  from  place 
to  place  as  one  leads  a  blind  horse  with  leathern  halter ; 
these  are  the  least  of  the  blind  man's  woes. 

What  of  the  hopeless  consumptive  ?  Will  you  will- 
ingly exchange  your  lot  for  his  ?  You  have  every  con- 
fidence and  hope  of  recovery;  he,  poor  unfortunate, 
has  none. 

Where  is  the  stammerer  who  will  exchange  his  life 
for  the  life  of  the  mute?  Yes,  you  say,  here  I  am,  I  will 
exchange  my  life  for  the  life  of  a  mute.  Then  if  this  is 
true,  go  in  silence  for  the  balance  of  your  life.  You  tell 
me  that  the  mute  is  resigned  to  his  infirmity  and  that  in 
this  resignation  there  is  satisfaction  and  relief;  to  you 
this  may  be  true,  but  to  me  it  would  mean  an  everlasting 
and  never-dying  source  of  remorse  and  sorrow  to  know 
that  I  was  forever  speechless  to  the  world.     True,  the 

189— 


•       THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

stammerer  often  in  a  sense  suffers  greater  agony  than 
the  mute,  but  he  can  always  harbor  a  hope  for  recovery ; 
and  what  is  this  life  to  any  of  us  whether  we  stammer  or 
not  when  we  have  abandoned  hope.  Hope  is  the  sub- 
stance on  which  the  soul  feeds.  Hope  for  the  present. 
Hope  for  the  future,  and  hope  for  the  very  end.  Hope 
is  a  never-ending  ray  of  sunshine  in  the  life  of  every  man 
and  woman,  and  to  every  stammerer  Hope  is  doubly  as 
dear  as  to  others.  The  mute  can  know  but  little  of  this 
joyous  thing  called  hope,  but  the  stammerer  is  ever 
hopeful. 

What  about  the  cripple?  Would  you  rather  stam- 
mer than  be  crippled?  Your  answer  is:  I  would  rather 
be  a  cripple  than  stammer.  Yes,  but  I  say,  how  would 
you  like  to  stammer  and  be  crippled  as  well?  Here  you 
pause  and  reply  that  either  one  is  bad  enough.  But 
remember,  there  are  many  who  suffer  both,  and  how 
thankful  you  should  be  that  you  have  but  one  to  con- 
tend with. 

There  has  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  this  country 
when  stammering  could  be  considered  one  of  the  great- 
est evils  and  infirmities  to  which  mankind  is  heir,  but  at 
the  present  time,  when  modern  ideas  are  supplanting 
old-time  theories,  and  the  stammerer  can  be  entirely 
relieved  of  his  burden,  the  old-time  poison  called  stam- 
mering has  lost  much  of  its  former  virus  and  sting. 

THE  CURE 

A  careful  study  of  the  different  methods  for  the  cure 
of  stammering  and  stuttering,  and  other  speech  impedi- 

— 190  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

ments,  as  practiced  by  the  most  successful  of  those  who 
have  within  recent  years  devoted  their  time  and  study 
to  the  subject,  together  with  the  personal  experience  of 
having  been  a  most  severe  stammerer  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  proves  to  me  beyond  a  doubt  that  only 
such  systems  produce  cures  and  permanent  results  as 
are  founded  on  an  educational  basis,  where  the  pupil  is 
disciplined  and  put  through  a  systematic  training,  be- 
ginning at  the  foundation  and  rebuilding  the  tissues  that 
have  naturally  become  weakened,  through  lack  of  proper 
use,  at  the  same  time  strengthening  and  developing  the 
vocal  organs. 

Probably  no  other  means  of  cure  in  the  world  has 
met  with  such  remarkable  success  in  ridding  humanity 
of  this  awful  curse  as  has  THE  LEWIS  PHONO- 
METRIC  METHOD.  Our  graduates,  representing 
now  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  Province  of 
Canada,  many  of  whom  had  been  lifelong  sufferers, 
bear  us  out  in  this  assertion  with  their  splendid  letters 
of  indorsement. 

HOME    TREATMENT 

Many  persons  have  written  to  me  to  inquire  if  I 
could  give  them  printed  or  written  instructions  that 
would  serve  the  same  purpose  as  their  presence  at  my 
school,  to  which  questions  I  have  invariably  answered, 
No.  While  I  might  possibly  give  them  instructions  in 
a  written  or  printed  form,  and  in  a  manner  from  which 
they  might  possibly  obtain  some  relief,  yet  it  would 
prove  very  unsatisfactory  in  the  end  to  both  pupil  and 

—  191  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

instructor.  Almost  daily  we  receive  communications 
from  persons  asking  for  mail  treatment,  with  offers  of 
remuneration.  I  invariably  refuse  offers  of  this  kind, 
always  advising  the  correspondent  that  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  attend  my  Institution  and  remain  directly 
under  my  personal  observation,  that  I  may  from  day  to 
day  (for  a  short  period)  assist  and  direct  them  to  a 
proper  use  and  development  of  the  organs  of  speech, 
which  have  been  so  long  abused. 

TIME  FOR  EVERYTHING 

It  is  equally  as  hard  to  effect  a  cure  in  a  case  of 
stammering  unless  attention  is  paid  to  the  little  details 
of  treatment  as  it  is  to  successfully  conduct  a  large 
mercantile  business  without  system. 

The  old  proverb,  "  Take  care  of  the  pennies  and  the 
dollars  will  take  care  of  themselves,"  has  been  verified 
a  countless  number  of  times,  and  contains  a  principle 
worth  while  studying.  He  who  pays  attention  to  the 
minutest  details  of  his  business  will  surely  succeed  in 
the  end.  He  who  neglects  and  treats  as  unworthy  of 
notice  the  smallest  fraction  of  his  duties  will  ulti- 
mately neglect  his  whole  business  and  end  in  failure. 
This  also  applies  to  a  cure  for  stammering.  Pay  atten- 
tion to  every  little  principle  involved  in  effecting  the 
cure  and  you  cannot  but  succeed  if  the  method  is 
practical. 

If  the  method  you  are  following  be  not  altogether 
efficient,  you  cannot  afford  to  neglect  the  minutest  in- 
struction.    On  the  contrary,  you  should  apply  yourself 

— 192  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

the  more  studiously.  A  poor  method,  poorly  applied, 
will  give  absolutely  no  results ;  a  good  method,  poorly 
applied,  will  give  some  results ;  a  poor  method,  well 
applied,  may  afford  relief;  while  a  good  method  of 
treatment,  well  applied,  will  give  you  an  absolute  and 
permanent  cure. 

Granting  the  above  to  be  undeniable,  we  have  many 
things  to  take  into  consideration  before  we  can  even  be- 
gin to  hope  for  relief.  The  main  difficulty  to  contend 
with  in  the  majority  of  cases  where  a  cure  is  looked  for 
is  the  fact  that  the  stammerer  becomes  impatient  for  re- 
sults and  wants  a  cure  all  at  once. 

Let  us  for  a  minute  draw  a  comparison  between  the 
man  who  from  education,  study,  and  practice  would  get 
cured  of  stammering,  and  he  who  would  become  profi- 
cient in  any  other  study  as  seriously  involving  his  future 
life  as  his  freedom  of  speech.  The  would-be  artist  does 
not  acquire  his  knowledge  of  colors,  his  delicate  touch, 
an  eye  for  form  and  beauty,  nor  his  reputation,  all  in  a 
day.  The  would-be  physician  or  surgeon  expects  many 
weary  hours  of  painstaking  labor  if  he  shall  acquire  for 
himself  reputation  and  skill.  The  skilled  artisan  and 
the  mechanic  can  only  be  called  such  after  years  of 
study  and  labor.  He  who  would  establish  himself  as  a 
lawyer  does  not  expect  to  reach  the  goal  for  which  he 
is  striving  without  much  patience  and  study,  and  so 
could  be  quoted  innumerable  other  cases,  down  through 
all  the  different  walks  of  life.  The  would-be  artist  be- 
gins at  the  mixing  of  colors,  he  studies  form,  texture  of 
canvas,  mounting  of  pictures,  quality  of  brushes,  prac- 
tices delicacy  of  touch,  and  blending  of  shades.     If  he 

13  —193  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

be  a  landscape  artist  he  probably  spends  whole  sum- 
mers and  autumns  in  rural  districts  studying  the  beau- 
ties of  nature  with  all  her  grandeur  of  color  and  origi- 
nality. He  then  goes  abroad  and  studies  the  masters, 
and  finally,  after  many  years  of  earnest  plodding,  he  is 
rated  an  artist  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  and  then 
spends  the  balance  of  his  life  trying  to  make  for  himself 
a  reputation. 

Similar  illustrations  could  be  made  of  the  would-be 
physician,  the  would-be  artisan,  the  would-be  lawyer, 
the  would-be  musician,  and  many  other  would-bes ;  but 
the  poor,  unfortunate  "  would-be-cured-stammerer " 
wants  to  become  proficient  all  at  once,  and,  alas,  because 
he  does  not  speedily  find  that  for  which  he  is  in  search, 
he  sinks  into  the  unhappy  solitude  of  his  own  unhappy 
thoughts  and  thinks  he  is  the  most  woe-begone  and  all^ 
around-afflicted  mortal  in  the  world.  Let  him  for  an  in- 
stant compare  his  lot  with  that  of  others  so  afflicted  — 
many  of  whom  are  in  a  worse  condition  than  he  is  — 
hitherto  unknown  to  him.  You  cannot  see  the  blade  of 
grass  grow  as  it  pops  its  tiny  leaf  through  the  moist 
earth.  You  cannot  see  a  tree  casting  forth  its  leaf.  Yet 
these  and  other  such  events  follow  year  in  and  year  out, 
and  are  observed  gradually  as  they  transpire.  The  days 
for  miracles  have  long  since  passed.  Methods  for  the 
cure  of  stammering  having  for  their  foundation  secrecy 
and  humbuggery,  quackery,  and  misrepresentation,  must 
give  way  to  practical  educational  methods  of  treatment, 
and  the  sooner  the  stammerer  is  brought  to  realize  these 
facts  the  better  for  him  and  for  all  other  persons  con- 
cerned. 

— 194  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


TIME  REQUIRED  TO  EFFECT  A  CURE 

The  length  of  time  required  to  effect  a  cure  depends 
largely  upon  the  severity  of  the  case  and  the  applica- 
tion of  the  pupil  to  duty.  The  average  case  has 
required  from  three  to  six  or  eight  weeks'  treatment. 
We  do  not  guarantee  the  length  of  time  for  treatment 
required  to  effect  a  cure  in  any  particular  case,  as  much 
depends  upon  the  pupil's  aptitude  for  learning  and  ap- 
plication. An  investigation  of  our  testimonials  will 
prove  to  the  reader  however  that  many  of  our  pupils 
who  had  been  lifelong  sufferers  were  never  heard  to 
stammer  after  their  first  week's  instruction  although 
they  remained  with  us  until  the  completion  of  their 
course. 

RESULTS  OF  TREATMENT 

The  results  of  treatment  are  noticeable  on  the  pupil 
almost  immediately.  The  depressed,  careworn  look 
possessed  by  many  stammerers,  the  direct  result  of 
years  of  constant  worry  and  battle,  gives  way  to  a 
cheerful  expression  and  buoyant  disposition.  The  im- 
provement physically,  in  some  cases  almost  from  the 
beginning,  is  marked.  The  chest  development  of  some 
pupils  while  under  treatment  has  been  from  three  to 
four  inches,  the  gymnastic  exercises  being  well  calcu- 
lated to  build  up  and  strengthen  the  tissues  and  muscles 
that  have  become  weakened  through  lack  of  proper 
exercise  and  use. 

—  195  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 


TERMS  OF  TUITION 

Our  charges  in  a  case  of  stammering  or  stuttering 
depend  upon  the  extent  of  the  difficulty,  as  some 
require  much  more  care  and  attention  than  others. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  type  and  severity 
of  any  case  of  stammering  or  stuttering  without  first 
obtaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  manifestations 
and  indications  surrounding  it.  To  enable  us  to  gain 
this  knowledge  we  have  prepared  a  sheet  of  questions 
known  as  our  "  Question  Blank,"  which  when  properly 
filled  in  will  give  a  complete  chain,  leading  up  to  the 
diagnosis  of  the  case.  We  will  be  pleased  to  mail  one 
of  our  "  Question  Blanks "  to  any  stammerer  upon 
request,  and  upon  the  return  of  which,  carefully  and 
properly  filled  in,  we  will  pronounce  the  type  of  stam- 
mering and  quote  terms  for  treatment.  No  charge  is 
made  for  consultation  either  by  correspondence  or 
otherwise. 

OUR  GUARANTEE 

We  will  give  a  written  guarantee  of  an  absolute  cure 
in  any  case  of  stammering  or  stuttering  when  our  in- 
structions are  followed,  and  will  willingly  refund  the 
money  paid  us  as  tuition,  providing  we  do  not  fulfill  our 
promise.  Our  instructions  are  easy  to  follow,  there 
being  nothing  embodied  in  our  methods  of  treatment 
or  instruction  but  what  can  be  easily  performed  and 
carried  out  by  any  intelligent  person  over  ten  years  of 
age. 

— 196 — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

OUR  LOCATION 

Centrally  located,  easy  of  access  for  both  Americans 
and  Canadians  by  either  rail  or  water,  Detroit,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  cities  of  the  United  States,  offers 
superior  advantages  as  a  location  for  an  Institute  for 
the  cure  of  stammering. 

The  Lewis  Phono-Metric  Institute  and  School  for 
Stammerers  is  located  at  Nos.  37-39-41  Adelaide 
street,  just  one-half  block  east  of  Woodward  avenue. 
This  location  could  not  possibly  be  surpassed.  The 
Public  Reception  Hall  is  a  large  and  commodious  room, 
30  feet  long  by  18  feet  wide,  and  has  been  especially 
furnished  for  our  pupils.  A  Private  Reception  Room, 
a  Reading  Room,  and  also  a  Pupils'  Reclining  Room 
have  all  been  comfortably  provided  and  add  largely  to 
the  other  pleasant  surroundings  of  our  Institution.  Our 
Business  Offices  are  located  in  our  Main  Building,  and 
are  conveniently  located  for  the  transaction  of  business. 
Special  precautionary  means  have  been  taken  to  secure 
the  most  sanitary  equipment  possible,  toward  which  pur- 
pose in  every  room  in  our  Institute  we  have  provided 
highly  polished  hardwood  floors,  with  floor  rugs  instead 
of  carpets.  Separate  baths  and  lavatories  have  also 
been  provided  for  either  sex,  thus  keeping  the  apart- 
ments of  ladies  entirely  separate  and  apart  from  those 
of  the  gentlemen  of  our  School. 

The  grounds  and  surroundings  of  our  buildings  are 
probably  the  most  beautiful  of  any  private  grounds  on 
Adelaide  street,  which  in  summer-time  adds  largely  to 
the  enjoyment  of  the  pupils'  visit. 

—  i97  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

The  bedrooms  occupied  by  our  pupils  are  carefully 
and  thoroughly  cared  for  by  competent  service,  and 
thus  during  his  entire  visit  the  pupil  is  made  to  feel  that 
his  home  is  our  home  and  that  our  home  is  his. 

The  location  of  our  Institute,  its  pleasant  appoint- 
ment, and  thorough  equipment  and  adaptation  for  the 
treatment  of  stammering,  added  to  the  superior  advan- 
tages of  our  School  Residence  as  a  home  for  the  comfort 
and  accommodation  of  pupils  attending,  combine  in  one 
institution  advantages  unequaled  anywhere  else  on  this 
continent. 

OUR  CARE  FOR  CHILDREN 

While  the  majority  of  our  patients  are  adults  we, 
nevertheless,  have  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  a  number  of 
children  in  attendance,  and  for  this  reason  have  taken 
special  pains  to  provide  comfortably  for  their  wants. 
Parents  can  rest  assured  and  satisfied  that  their  children 
placed  in  our  care  will  be  well  and  properly  cared  for. 
We  surround  our  pupils  with  wholesome  literature  and 
moral  influences  in  every  respect,  and  in  fact  make  the 
attention  which  we  give  to  the  younger  members  of  our 
classes  one  of  the  important  features  of  our  work. 

OUR  SUCCESS 

The  Lewis  Phono-Metric  Institute  and  School  for 
Stammerers  enjoys  a  larger  regular  attendance  of 
pupils  than  any  other  institution  of  its  kind  anywhere. 
It  covers  more  than  four  times  as  much  floor  space  as 
any  other  stammerers'  school.  It  is  the  only  institute 
for  the  cure  of  stammering  in  the  world  that  boards  and 

—  198  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

otherwise  provides  comfortable  accommodations  for  its 
patrons.  It  is  the  only  school  of  its  kind  so  thoroughly 
equipped  for  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  adapted. 

The  only  institution  of  its  kind  with  a  competent  and 
experienced  staff  of  instructors. 

It  is  an  institution  for  the  cure  of  stammering  that 
has  succeeded  from  the  first,  while  hundreds  of  others 
have  utterly  failed.  It  can  refer  to  more  pupils  cured 
than  any  other  institution  of  its  kind  in  America. 

It  is  the  only  institution  of  its  kind  that  will  give  a 
written  guarantee  of  an  absolute  cure. 

The  success  of  the  Lewis  Phono-Metric  Institute  and 
School  for  Stammerers  is  largely  attributable  to  thor- 
oughness in  its  methods  and  uprightness  in  its  business 
principles. 

SCHOOL  RESIDENCE  AND  HOME  FOR  PUPILS 

The  school  Residence  of  the  Lewis  Phono-Metric 
Institute,  a  comfortable,  homelike  dormitory,  has  been 
arranged  for  the  accommodation  of  pupils  attending, 
and  is  conveniently  situated  near  the  Institute. 

Many  pupils  who  attend  our  school  regret  the  time 
for  their  departure,  so  pleasant  has  their  visit  been  to 
them. 

The  entire  class  board  together,  each  of  the  pupils 
being  provided  with  a  comfortable  room  and  all  the 
accommodations  of  their  own  homes  at  a  reasonable 
price. 

Musicales,  debates,  at  homes,  etc.,  given  in  the  par- 
lors, supply  evening  entertainment  for  the  class,  and 


THE  ORIGIN  AND   TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

everything  that  can  be  done  to  make  it  pleasant  for  the 
pupils  is  carefully  looked  after. 

MEETING  PUPILS  AT  THE  TRAIN 

Persons  unaccustomed  to  city  life  need  have  no 
hesitation  about  coming  to  Detroit  to  attend  our  In- 
stitute, as  we  make  it  a  special  feature  of  our  work,  when 
requested,  to  meet  our  pupils  at  the  train  upon  their 
arrival  in  the  city.  Ladies  and  children  are  especially 
cared  for  in  this  respect,  the  usual  means  of  identifica- 
tion being  a  small  white  bowknot,  which  the  pupil  wears 
pinned  to  the  lapel  of  the  coat,  and  in  which  way  we  rec- 
ognize him  at  once,  immediately  he  steps  from  the 
train. 

ACCOMMODATION 

THE  Lewis  Phono-Metric  Institute  is  open  to  receive 
pupils  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  its  doors  never  having 
been  closed  for  more  than  a  day's  vacation.  Parents 
who  desire  to  be  present  with  their  children  during 
treatment,  or  who  wish  to  send  a  guardian  with  them, 
will  be  accommodated  in  our  Institution  or  may  board 
elsewhere,  according  to  their  option.  As  our  attend- 
ance at  all  seasons  of  the  year  is  usually  very  large  it  is 
always  well  to  arrange  for  accommodation  before  com- 
ing, thus  avoiding  inconvenience,  disappointment,  or 
delay.  Our  accommodations  are  first-class  in  every  re- 
spect, including  hardwood  floors,  electric  light,  and  hot 
water  heating.  Rooms  may  be  engaged  separately  with 
private  bath  or  in  suite.  Our  prices  for  accommodation 
are  as  reasonable  as  one  will  find  elsewhere  in  the  city. 


200 


REFERENCE  AND  RECOMMENDATION 


In  AN  effort  to  make  this  book  an  acceptable  volume 
for  the  library  and  the  home  we  have  endeavored  as 
far  as  possible  to  omit  from  its  contents  anything  that 
might  be  judged  as  advertising  in  the  usually  accepted 
meaning  of  the  term. 

We  will  be  pleased  to  send  to  any  person  upon 
request  another  book  containing  letters  of  Recommen- 
dation and  Reference  which  speak  in  the  highest  terms 
of  the  success  of  our  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  stammerer 
and  the  reliability  of  our  treatment.  In  addition  to 
strong  letters  of  Recommendation  from  the  Governor  of 
Michigan,  and  the  Mayor  of  Detroit,  our  Institution 
receives  also  (as  is  evidenced  by  our  book  of  Recom- 
mendations and  References)  the  hearty  indorsement 
and  support  of  many  well-known  Educators,  Clergy- 
men, University  Professors,  Business  and  Professional 
men  everywhere. 

We  shall  be  pleased  also  to  submit  by  letter  to 
persons  who  desire  it  the  names  and  addresses  of  hun- 
dreds of  our  graduates  who  are  always  willing  and  ready, 
in  consideration  of  their  cure  and  the  great  benefit  they 
have  derived  from  our  training,  to  testify  to  the  merits 


—  201  — 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  TREATMENT  OF  STAMMERING 

of  our  treatment  by  promptly  replying  to  any  inquiries 
they  receive  regarding  our  work.  Persons  who  desire 
to  further  investigate  the  merits  of  our  Institution 
should  write  to  us  at  once  for  our  book  of  Recom^ 
mendations  and  References.  Ask  also  for  a  list  of 
names  and  addresses  of  pupils  who  have  been  cured 
under  our  instruction. 

All  business  communications  pertaining  to  terms, 
applications,  particulars  regarding  treatment,  etc.,  shouM 
be  addressed  directly  to  our  office  and  will  receive  prompt 
attention. 

THE  LEWIS  PHONO-METRIC  INSTITUTE 
AND  SCHOOL  FOR  STAMMERERS, 

37-41  Adelaide  St.,  Detroit,  Mich. 


Note  :  If  the  names  and  addresses  of  persons  who  stammer  are  fur- 
nished us  we  shall  be  pleased  to  mail  them  copies  of  this  book  without  in  any 
way  mentioning  the  source  of  information. 


203 


THE    PHONO-METER 

A  monthly  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  the  interest  of  per- 
sons who  stammer  <&  &  & 


Edited  and  Published  by 
GEO,  ANDREW  LEWIS 

The  first  number  of  the  Phono-Meter  was  published 
January  ist,  1897,  since  which  time  it  has  appeared 
monthly,  and  is  sent  regularly  to  subscribers  in  every 
State  in  the  Union  and  Province  of  Canada,  and  in  fact  to 
all  parts  of  the  world.  It  contains  interesting  and  valuable 
articles  on  stammering  from  the  pens  of  the  best  authori- 
ties and  is  teeming  full  of  helpful  thoughts  and  suggestions 
suitably  adapted  for  home  treatment. 

Considering  the  small  price  of  subscription,  Fifty  Cents 
a  Year,  no  stammerer  can  afford  to  be  without  it.    Write  to- 
day for  (free)  sample  copy.     One  number  may  be  worth  to 
you  many  times  the  price  of  a  full  year's  subscription. 
Address 

GEO.  ANDREW    LEWI5, 

Editor  of  the  Phono=Meter, 
35-41  ADELAIDE  ST.,   -    -    -    DETROIT,  MICH. 

H— tta—aa  ■  ■  ■  a  •  .  ■■  .  Jj 


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The  origin  and  treatment 
of  stammering. 


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